I Could Do Without You
by LittleGreenGirlxx
Summary: Fiyero and Elphaba hate each other. Can anything teach them to get along? AU Booksical. Fiyeraba, of course! Rated T for later chapters. Glinda/OC.
1. I Hate You, Cuppycake

**Hi there! Have you ever felt like eight words have shattered one of your most desperate dreams? That happened to me the other day. My Acting teacher told me these eight words, "You're not Elphaba. You're born to be Galinda." **

**Heart shattering. I love Galinda, but not enough to let myself play her over Elphaba. No matter how 'perfect' I am for the role. So, yeah. I'm making Galinda tall in this story, because I'm short. OH NOES. Sorry, this upsets me. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: NAAAAT MINEEEEEE! I own nothing. **

* * *

For Prince Fiyero Tiggular, waiting for his girlfriend [Galinda Upland of the _Upper _Uplands, of the Arduenna clan on her mother's side] was never more of a chore than when he had to wait with Elphaba Thropp. The Artichoke. The queen of the geeks. The green girl. In the girl's shared dorm room, of all places. Why Galinda liked her, he would never understand.

Elphaba never ceased to annoy Fiyero, no matter how hard he tried to ignore her hurtful remarks. He _had _to put up with her, because she was Galinda's best friend, and would sometimes do his homework if he asked especially nicely. Most of the time, however, she was condescending and rude and insulting…Not that he could blame her. He hadn't exactly made the best first impression, almost running her over in his fancy sports car on the first day of term. Galinda always tried desperately to get them to get along, but she very rarely succeeded. The poor girl mainly had to make do with stony silences and forced conversation.

* * *

Fiyero watched as the object of his irritation, the girl with skin the colour of emeralds, typed furiously on the keyboard of her little black laptop. Her lips were pursed in concentration and a gentle crease had appeared in her brow. Slowly, the crease deepened to an angry frown.

"You are utterly absurd." she spat, rounding on Fiyero with a feral snarl. He wrinkled his nose in faint confusion. This was another thing about her that annoyed him; he hardly ever had a clue what in the name of Oz she was talking about. He wasn't exactly afraid to say as much, either.

"What in the name of Oz are you on about, Thropp?" Fiyero wasn't exactly in the best of moods in the first place, so her randomly flinging unjustified insults at him was not a welcome occurrence. Elphaba sighed in exasperation, and turned the little computer to face him.

Her words were almost weary, and laced with loathing. "You hacked my Shizbook."

The internet page that was displayed on the screen was emblazoned with rude comments about the girl, written as though Elphaba herself was saying all the horrible things. The picture was one of an old storybook witch that someone had cleverly edited to appear green. Fiyero, though not exactly the girl's biggest fan, could hardly believe some of the things that were written about her on that page.

"I would _never…_" he stammered, holding his hands up in an attempt to make her believe him. It didn't work. She laughed thinly; a harsh, nasal cackle.

"Oh, yes you _would_, Tiggular. Cut the crap. I don't care what you think about me, but can't you at least have the decency to keep it inside your head, instead of posting it all over the internet? This is low, even by your disgusting standards." Elphaba then sighed heavily and went to repair the damage done to her profile page.

Fiyero, seething, grabbed the laptop and hurled it across to the other side of the dorm room. It smashed against the opposite wall, and Elphaba barely managed to suppress a squeak of surprised fright.

The Prince cried, "In the name of Lurline, Thropp! Why can't you get it into your stupid, stubborn head that I didn't do that? I didn't even know you _had _Shizbook-"

"You added me as a friend. Jerk."

"And I wouldn't even waste one precious moment of my life defacing some ridiculous, meaningless internet page! You know well enough that I don't give two flying monkeys-"

"Flying monkeys? Unnamed God, you're even stupider than I thought. Monkeys don't _fly_, you imbecile!"

"-about you! I don't give you enough brain space to be _bothered _with doing something like this!"

"I'm starting to doubt you even have a brain in the first place." Elphaba stated dryly, sitting down on the edge of her desk with her nose resolutely in the air. Fiyero was too caught up in his rage at the injustice that he didn't notice her slim hands shaking in her lap.

"I never claimed to have a brain, or did you forget that, Asparagus Girl?" Fiyero shot in reply, allowing himself a smug smile at the new nickname he had created for her.

"Don't you say one more word to me. Just…keep quiet until Galinda get back from her grandmother's. Sit over there and _shut the __**hell **__up!_" Elphaba muttered, gesturing to the small armchair in the corner or the room.

With a heavy sigh, she picked up the pieces of her fractured laptop. It was like a little broken bird, with it's cracked screen and utterly destroyed keyboard. In a way, Elphaba actually felt sad by the loss of it. Aside from Galinda, the computer was the only thing that stopped her from going utterly insane.

Watching her gently collect the fragments of her shattered possession, Fiyero _almost _managed to feel a twinge of remorse. He _almost _wanted to apologize. Almost. But not quite.

Galinda entered the room with a bright, cheerful smile, and Fiyero entirely forgot the existence of his conscience. With Galinda around, he tended to forget about everything, because he found her wholly entrancing. The blonde was tall and statuesque, with perfect white teeth and long golden hair that she curled meticulously every morning before class. Her classic Gillikinese beauty could overshadow even the prettiest girl in the room, and she always dressed immaculately in high fashion. Sadly, alas, the girl could often come across as a little…dim. Although, contrary to popular opinion, she wasn't. She just liked to act that way. Apparently, she found it 'funny'.

"Fiyero!" she squealed upon seeing her boyfriend. Elphaba winced slightly, and Fiyero opened his arms for the blonde to spring into. "I'm so glad all of my exams are finally over! I thought that sorcery one was actually going to kill me! But now they're all done and I can have seven whole weeks with you and Elphie here at Shiz! Wait, you guys are staying for the summer, right? _Right_, Fiyero? Elphie? Oh Oz, if you're not staying, I'll have to go all the way home in that horrible train again! Please stay for the summer! !" the girl gabbled, her voice inflecting to an impossibly high pitch at the end of every sentence. Fiyero smiled at the girl in his arms.

"Of course I'll stay for you, sweetheart. I'll do anything you ask me to."

"I know you will, Cuppycake," cooed Galinda, eliciting a splutter and a strangled cackle from Elphaba. She tossed her head back, her long black pleat whipping through the air with a _swoosh_.

"That's hilarious!" she laughed, flopping down onto her bed and grinning mockingly at Fiyero. He flushed slightly and glared in return.

After a heavy pause, Galinda left Fiyero's lap and threw herself down next to Elphaba. With a grin, she asked, "What about you, Elphie? Will you stay here for summer?"

"Let's face it, dearie, I don't see much point in going home, do you?" the green girl replied with a wry smile, and Galinda's face contorted into a remorseful grimace.

"I am so sorry, Elphaba. I didn't think before I said it, I-"

"Don't worry about it, Glin. My lack of a home life isn't your concern."

"But-"

"It's _fine_. Honestly. Of course I'll stay."

"That's great! Okay you two, I'm going to go for a shower then we're all going out for dinner! Try not to kill each other while I'm gone, right?" The blonde enveloped her friend in an apologetic hug, gave Fiyero a fleeting kiss then twirled into the bathroom.

Fiyero himself was rather puzzled. What had Elphaba meant when she spoke about her 'lack of a home life'? He realised that he had never _once _heard the girl mention her family. He began to wonder if she even _had _a family. After all, as the smartest student in Shiz, she had gotten in on a scholarship and got all of her tuition fees paid for her. It was then he noted how little he actually knew about the girl.

Suddenly, a green hand came flying through the air and smacked him hard in the face, leaving his right cheek stinging unpleasantly. The prince gasped and gazed at Elphaba, who was standing in front of him with a triumphant glare on her face.

"What the fu-" he gibbered, clutching his burning face with one hand. '_Jeez,' _he thought, _'She hits pretty damn hard for a girl!' _

Elphaba sniggered, her dark eyes narrowing in undisguised hatred. "That was for breaking my laptop. And, for the record, Tiggular, I am going to loathe **every **second of this summer if I have to spend it with you. I completely _detest_ and _despise _you…Cuppycake! Imagine if your friends could hear that one."

"I hate you!"

"Oh, I know."

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**Review, if you like. :) **


	2. Unadulterated Loathing

**I like Fiyero having a temper. Elphie thinks it's sexy. -awkward cough-**

**Yeah, I'm a couple of chapters ahead, so I'm being generous. Enjoy. :) **

* * *

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Fiyero snapped as someone barrelled into him, charging with reckless abandon towards the vending machine. Every evening, the Prince made this pilgrimage for a packet of chocolate and honeycomb ball-shaped sweets. He never paid enough attention to the red and white packet to notice the name; he was too busy wolfing them down to care.

As he neared the machine in question, a thin emerald hand reached out and tapped two buttons on the keypad. A couple of whirring and chugging noises later, a small red and white packet fell from it's little shelf. Elphaba bent and fished the chocolates out, smiling contentedly as she thought about whatever she was thinking about. She turned around and shot him a glare before beginning to walk away. He peered around her small bony form and took a quick look at the vending machine.

Fiyero ground to a halt, his mouth wide open in absolute horror. "You took the _last packet _of the little chocolate ball thingies!" he squealed after her, desolately running his hands through his dark mop of hair. Elphaba stumbled a little, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. With a lithe turn, she glared at him.

"What are you talking about, Tiggy?" she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"The chocolate things you just bought! Those should be mine," pouted the boy, crossing his arms childishly. Another eye roll accompanied by a raised eyebrow supplemented Elphaba's reply.

"Unless you own the vending machine or I came up and stole the packet out of your hands, they should **not** be yours. I used my own money, ergo they are _mine_!" her eyes were suddenly narrowed in frustration. Why did this boy always have to annoy her so much?

"But I buy them every day!" he exclaimed, lunging without any hint of grace towards the packet in her hand. With almost feline speed, Elphaba whipped the object out of his reach.

"Leave me and my chocolates alone, you freak! Oz, what's your problem?"

"You're calling _me _a freak? That's rich. And, Artichoke, my problem is **you**. In a nutshell, if you hadn't been born, my life would be _so _much better, because that means I could have my sweets! Why can't you just go die?" Fiyero yelled, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could censor them. Elphaba's face crumpled and her brown eyes grew wide. She thrusted the offending packet into Fiyero's outstretched hand then turned on her heel and whirled away. The young man stared after her for a moment, then cast his gaze to the sweets. Fleetingly, he realised that he had gone too far. As he was so apt to do, he acted on impulse and followed her.

* * *

Elphaba clenched her fists as she advanced down the shady street, bitter tears clouding her vision. How _dare _he speak to her like that? He was just a stupid little rich boy who knew nothing about her life. Evidently, he didn't care what kind of an impact his thoughtless words would have on her. She stumbled into a little alleyway, slumping against the wall. Her eyes closed and hot tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" she muttered, pressing her fists to her eyelids in an attempt to stem the flow of those traitorous tears. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate-"

"And here was me thinking you loved me," Fiyero quipped, strolling into the alley with his hands in his pockets. Elphaba's head shot up and she regarded him with bleary eyes full of surprise.

"You followed me? That's really creepy, Princey," the girl accused, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"I couldn't let you just walk away after I said something so mean to you. Believe it or not, I do have some kind of conscience, you know. It's small, but it exists," Fiyero admitted, pulling a crumpled tissue from his pocket and meekly offering it to her.

"Is that supposed to pass for an apology, you asshole?" Elphaba snapped, but she took the tissue and mopped at her face with it. Fiyero ignored her hostility, understanding that he deserved it.

"No, I haven't got that far yet. I'll get there in a minute. I'd just like you to know that-"

"Didn't you get it into your thick skull that I hate you? I loathe the very _sight _of you. I-"

"Never shut up? Yeah, I got that you hate me. I don't go a bundle on you either, but I can admit that I went too far back at the vending machine. That was really out of order. I'm s-"

"Hold on!" Elphaba held a hand up and closed her eyes, a faintly sarcastic smile appearing on her tearstained face. "I want to remember this moment forever. The arrogant pig is actually stooping so low as following and apologising to the resident freak!"

Fiyero bit back a smart reply and conceded her rant with a dismissive wave. When he was quite sure she had finished, he continued.

"I'm sorry. What I said was really horrible, and I didn't mean it. I promise." Though his outward demeanour was bored, Elphaba could tell from the tone of regret in his voice and blazing remorse in his eyes that he was being serious. She wondered if the boy realised just how betraying those eyes were; their soft adamantine blue suddenly divulging the true feeling that he was trying desperately to conceal.

With a dramatic sniff, Elphaba replied, "Alright. Apology accepted…but I still hate you. Possibly even more now than I did before. I didn't even know that was _possible_!". The Prince smiled wryly and beckoned for her to follow him out of the alleyway.

* * *

They walked aimlessly for a while, neither of them speaking. Fiyero was internally reprimanding himself for being so constantly horrible to a girl who had really never done anything to him. On reflection, he realised that she wasn't even all that bad to talk to. Galinda obviously adored having her as a best friend, not least because she had an answer for everything and, apparently, a brilliant sense of humour. At least, according to his girlfriend. Fiyero noted that the girl clung to Galinda's friendship like a life saving device, and it made his heart ache a little for her.

Elphaba was thinking along similar lines, cursing herself for letting his words affect her in such a ridiculous way. He had done plenty to make her life hell, but that one tiny vocal apology that was reflected a hundredfold in his expressive eyes was enough to make up for all of his past misdemeanours. By no stretch of the imagination did she _like _him, but the girl recognised the fact that there was an actual human being buried somewhere far underneath all the pomp and pretence, and she made up her mind to bring it out.

"Hold on! I want to say something to you," Elphaba muttered, slowing to a stop and tugging on the wrist of Fiyero's hooded jacket. He paused and turned to her, his face a carefully constructed deadpan.

"What's up?" he queried, noting that her hand was still enclosed around his wrist. At least the fact that she wasn't recoiling from his very presence in disgust was a step in the right direction. Elphaba's face flushed slightly, and her voice dropped and softened so much it was barely audible.

"Don't tell Galinda that you saw me cry," she murmured, casting her eyes towards her tatty old trainers. "As far as she's concerned, I don't even have tear ducts. If you ever tell her, I'll castrate you!" she added fiercely, now gripping his hand in a sort of beseeching, threatening way. Fiyero smiled thinly.

"And have you do away with my most prized asset? I couldn't let you do that. Don't worry, I won't tell. You have my word on that," he promised, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze. At the sudden pressure, Elphaba looked down at their clasped hands in apparent astonishment. In one swift movement, they were no longer connected.

Fiyero noted the sudden emptiness of his palm, but blinked the half formed thought away. Elphaba was looking up at him with her eyes wide in an unfamiliar expression, almost as though she was trying to figure him out.

"How do I know I can trust your word?" she questioned, wishing she was at least a foot taller so she could look him in the face without craning her neck skywards. However, the genuine sparkle in his eyes that even Fiyero's great skill in acting couldn't conceal told her that she could fully trust him.

"You don't know. You're just going to have to give me the benefit of the doubt," the boy retorted, slightly annoyed at her constant lack of confidence in everything.

"I have trust issues. I don't think I'll ever be ready to trust you."

"If I give you those funny little chocolate balls back, will you trust me?"

"Probably not, but we can share them and call it even."

"Deal."

* * *

"Where in the name of all that is fashionable in the Emerald City have you been, Elphie?" Galinda cried, tossing her copy of '_EC Fashion Weekly' _to the side and springing to her feet. The smaller girl shrugged and dodged around her, unbraiding her lustrous hair and tossing it over your shoulder.

"You won't like it if I tell you, Glin. You'll jump to conclusions right away and won't give me a chance to explain," she replied, tugging off her faded jeans and pulling on her pyjama trousers.

"Try me!" the blonde chuckled, passing Elphaba a black tank top from the pile of dirty washing heaped on the floor.

"Alright. I was out walking with your boyfriend."

"You were out walking with my boyfriend?" Galinda repeated, her bright eyes faintly confused. Elphaba nodded, shrugging.

"We decided we'd call a truce with this whole unadulterated loathing thing we've got going on. It's not fair to you, it gives me a headache and he's used up his already small supply of witty comebacks. I don't know if we'll ever be friends, but…well, we won't be enemies. Can you live with that?"

"But why did you have to go _waking _to do that? Walking _alone?_ Together?"

"That's a bit of a contradiction, don't you think?"

"What's a connydicion?"

"It's beside the point. We weren't waking together, per say. We bumped into one another and started talking and we just decided that for a pair of twenty year olds, all the arguing was really childish."

"Oh," stated Galinda, brushing past Elphaba and kicking off her fluffy baby yellow slippers before climbing into bed.

Elphaba bit her lip. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Not at all. Goodnight, Elphie."

The lamp was abruptly snapped off, and Elphaba was left standing in the middle of the room in pitch darkness. Her hands hung limply by her sides and her feet were turned inwards like a child. There was a sudden heavy silence, and the girl felt slightly abandoned by her friend's abrupt displeasure.

"Oh…alright then. Night, Glin. Sleep well," she whispered, crestfallen.

The only reply she received was a muffled, angry grunt.

* * *

**By the way, the sweets in question are called Malteasers. You should try them. They're wonderful. :D **


	3. A Catalyst For The Future

**As the title suggests, this chapter is a catalyst for later events. This may class as 'filler', but I don't care. We need it, okay my little darlings? Galinda is such a fascinating character! I love writing her...**

**Oh, and thank you for all of the lovely reviews! They make me happy, and keep me writing. :D**

**OH! One more thing! St Aeraboth's Day is just St Valentines Day, except the Ozian version. Coolies? Good. We may continue. **

* * *

Lying in the suffocating darkness, Galinda's fascinating mind whirred into overdrive. She wasn't sure why her friend's truce irked her, but it did. Almost as though things were starting to change, and she had _always _hated change. If Elphaba and Fiyero got along with one another, it would mean she would no longer get to order them to say sorry or makes silly jibes at their inability to function correctly while the other one was around.

She had, of course, always put the aforementioned inability down to the palpable, unresolved tension between them. The girl pretended an incapability to place what _kind _tension they created around one another, but it was so heavy she felt like she was drowning in it sometimes. Somewhere deep in her brain, Galinda figured that it was sexual tension. In a way, she didn't much care if that were the truth, because they hated one another and adored her, so nothing would ever come of it.

But if they became _friends_…Friendship between a man and a woman always seemed to lead to more, but in her opinion the pair were miserably ill matched. Although, she reasoned, no pair was as well matched as _herself _and Fiyero. After all, he was unbearably perfect, she was unbearably perfect…Her dilemma was maddening.

* * *

"Elphaba, I've got something I'd like to say," Galinda whispered, prodding her roommate's sleeping form. The other girl remained asleep, her spidery fingers tightly clutching at the duvet like a cuddle blanket. "Elphie?" the blonde tried again, resorting to poking Elphaba's bony shoulder.

"Hazzawha?" the green girl grumbled, opening one eye and squinting up at Galinda in obvious irritation. "Y'interrupted a goo' dream, G'linda. Is it?" she groaned, half-heartedly propping herself up on one elbow and kneading her forehead with the heel of her hand.

Galinda adjusted her pink pyjamas with red hearts on them [given to her by Fiyero on St Aeraboth's Day] and climbed onto the bed beside Elphaba, crossing her legs into a basket. She folded her arms and pursed her lips: Galinda Upland meant business.

"I have been thinking," the blonde began, "about your relationship with my boyfriend." Galinda's cerulean eyes were deadly serious. Elphaba groaned again.

"Sweetie, I don't _have _a relationship with your boyfriend. We just agreed to try not to fight anymore. I _promise _you, that's all it is!" swore the brunette, pulling herself upright with great difficulty. Her friend held up a perfectly manicured hand.

"I know that. I was more thinking that I'd like you two to be friends," she smiled, glad to be at peace with her decision. Elphaba chuckled quietly, her eyes narrowed wryly.

"There's no chance of that. I can't stand him. I absolutely _despise _him_, abhor _himand_ detest _him with a fervent passion. Like I explained," here Elphaba glanced at the clock and grimaced before continuing, "an hour and a half ago, neither of us can be bothered with it any more. It's a waste of perfectly good energy that we could burn off doing something far more interesting."

Galinda's face paled. "Oh really?"

"Stop it! I didn't mean _that_. He _adores _you, Glin. And I mean, come on, he'd do anything to make sure he didn't lose you. Isn't it a testament to his feelings for you that he's willing to be nice to me?" Elphaba soothed, gripping Galinda's hand in an attempt to placate her.

At the reassuring words, the blonde's hard expression softened into a relaxed smile and she squeezed Elphaba's hand in return.

"You're right, Elphie. Who knew you were so good at giving advice!" she grinned, scooting up the bed and giving her reluctant friend a grateful hug. "Can I give you some advice, too?"

"Go ahead," Elphaba sighed, prepared for the worst.

"Why don't you tell Fiyero your story? Then maybe he'll understand why you can be…how you can be sometimes," Galinda suggested quietly. In all honesty, Elphaba realised that her logic was irrefutable, but she automatically recoiled in disgust.

"Explain myself to him? No! I don't want to dwell on my past, Glin. I'm focusing on the future,"

"And what exactly do you see in that wonderful future of yours, Elphaba Thropp?"

"I don't really see much, but I know what I want. I want to teach, and live in a nice house in the centre of the Emerald City. I want you to visit me with your flock of little girls in pink dresses and little boys in smart suits. I suppose that means Fiyero will have to visit too, but I'll just distract him with pizza or a mirror so that I don't have to make the effort to be nice to him."

"Elphie!"

"Okay, sorry, sorry. What do you want in your future?" Elphaba asked to divert the conversation away from herself. Galinda thought for a moment then cast her eyes downwards.

"I know what I _want _to want, but what I really want is…sort of different."

"Go on, it can't be that bad!"

"Well, I _want _to want to marry Fiyero and have that flock of children you were talking about. I want to want to live in a huge cushy house with pink curtains in every room, and bake cakes, and be a top fashion designer and take my little girls to ballet classes and my little boys to some kind of martial arts…"

"But?"

"But what I really want is to marry a down to earth guy who loves me for who I am, rather than just the fact I'm pretty and I'm good in bed. I want to live in a cosy little house that's tastefully decorated. I'd like to be a photographer or something. Two children would be more than enough: a boy and a girl. That's the life I really want."

"So, what's to stop you having it?"

Galinda paused for a moment, considering Elphaba's words. What _was _to stop her from having the life she wanted? Convention, perhaps, and the real, honest attachment she felt to Fiyero.

But could she be contented with 'attachment'?

"Nothing…I guess. Do you think I could? You know, go away to the Emerald City and try to make my way?" she whispered, a sudden flutter of excitement beginning in her tummy. Elphaba nodded happily.

"Sure you could. There's nothing to stop you. Live the life you want, Glin, not the life people expect of you," encouraged the green girl, and through her tiredness did not see the shadow of a plan appear in Galinda's bright eyes.

The blonde hopped over to her own bed with a very contented smile.

"Alright, thanks for the advice, Elphie. And remember to take mine, too. Tell Fiyero your story."

"No!"

"Night, Elphie. See you in the morning…" Galinda sighed, sinking back into bed and clicking the lamp off. Within seconds, Elphaba could hear her soft snores.

She raised her eyebrows then shook her head, cuddling under the covers and dropping into the land of sleep.

* * *

**Okay, I promise that this chapter DOES have a point! Just roll with it, okay? Okay? OKAY? **

**Good. I love you all. **

**Byebye. :) **


	4. Building Tension

**Okay, so this chapter? No idea. It just flowed from my fingers, and I decided it would be a nice little way to stick an ever bigger blob of tension between these two characters. I actually really like it, but that's just the Fiyeraba fanatic in me talking. **

**I promise, we're not moving too fast. This isn't going to happen again...for a while, at least. I just love Fiyeraba in denial flirting Shiz-era tension! **

**Thank you for the reviews! Makes me happy :D **

* * *

Fiyero rapped on the door three times, faintly irritated that Galinda had stood him up for their breakfast date. No reply came, so he tried again. Nothing. The prince supposed that the best course of action would be what he would normally do with his friends, which was let himself in and wait. Of course, his friends were complete idiots that always left their doors unlocked, and Galinda's way of living her life was much different to that of his brainless male comrades.

Much to his surprise, when he turned the handle, the door opened easily. He stepped inside, expecting to see the blonde curled up with her MP3 player's earphones in, painting her nails or something. Instead, he found Elphaba curled up at the end of her own bed with her MP3 player's earphones in, braiding her hair.

She had her back to him and was humming a complicated melody while her long fingers ran through the waist length raven silk that made up her hair. He watched in fascination as she wound the soft tendrils in a steady pattern then tied up the end with a navy blue ribbon. Slowly, he stepped up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

Elphaba shrieked and spun around, arms and legs flailing in shock. "What in the name of Oz are you doing in here?" she screamed, placing her hand to her heart in an attempt to calm down. She pulled the earphones out and tossed the thing out of the way.

"I did knock, you know," Fiyero replied simply, plopping down next to her and picking at a loose thread on the coverlet. Elphaba snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure you did, but that doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here? Galinda went out to meet you about forty five minutes ago," she snapped, evidently forgetting that she was supposed to be restraining her frustration around the boy. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"She did?" Elphaba _almost _smiled at the adorably puzzled expression that decorated his features, but she shook the thought off, wrinkling her nose at the word 'adorable' daring to venture into the same line of thought as Fiyero's face.

"Yep. Left a note saying she was wearing her diamante kitten heels and claiming that she was meeting you at The Poppy Field at ten. Maybe she got distracted by something shiny and waltzed off to buy it. Oh, don't look at me like that. You know what she's like!" the girl exclaimed, holding her hands up to her own defence. Fiyero shrugged in acquiesce.

"Fair enough. Can I wait here for her to get back?" queried the Prince with a friendly, albeit stiff smile.

The green girl pondered the request for a moment, thinking back to Galinda's evident discomfort with the new phase of her friend's relationship with Fiyero. On the one hand, she would be furious that they were sitting so close together on the bed, slightly leaning towards one another, pinkie fingers lightly touching, with Elphaba still in her pyjamas. On the other, she would be flattered that Fiyero cared enough to come by and wait for her. Or at least, so Elphaba hoped.

"Sure, I guess," she shrugged with an indifferent shrug and her nose wrinkled in displeasure. Fiyero pouted, shoving her lightly. "What was that for?" snapped the young woman before pushing him back with twice the intent.

"Looking so unhappy to be in my company. We agreed to _try, _remember?" he replied, prodding her side sharply. Thus ensued a vicious prodding war. Three times, Elphaba very nearly took one of Fiyero's piercing blue eyes out with her thin fingers as they jabbed a little too close to his face.

* * *

"Alright, we end this _now_, Tiggular! I win!" Elphaba cried triumphantly, giving one final shove that made Fiyero topple backwards. As though to claim her victory by humiliating him, Elphaba threw one leg over his waist and straddled him, jabbing his chest malevolently. Fiyero pouted again and reached up his hands to toss her away from him, but she grabbed them within her own and held them above his head. She had to lean downwards, and she was suddenly flush against his chest. They were almost nose to nose.

"You have to say that I won or I'm not letting you go," the girl whispered with a wicked grin and a mischievous sparkle in her brown eyes. Fiyero stared up at her defiantly, his subconscious vaguely acknowledging that maybe he didn't _want _to be let go.

"You never win, Thropp!" was all he said, wondering how the hell he had managed to end up in this intensely odd, faintly wrong and yet weirdly arousing situation.

"Typical man. Can't admit defeat," teased Elphaba, unconsciously letting her fingers tangle with his at their position above his head. Fiyero grinned playfully and let his eyes connect properly with hers, cobalt and russet. Much to his annoyance, her eyes were guarded and impossible to read.

"Has it occurred to you," he said softly, "that I won't admit defeat because I don't want you to let me go? Perhaps I've got you right where I want you?".

Elphaba's half closed eyes shot open in surprise when he rolled them over so that he was in power and leaning above her with his forearms on either side of her head, his body from the waist down fitted snugly between her legs. Her smooth forehead creased into a frown and she placed her hands on his shoulders in a half hearted attempt to push him away.

Her face suddenly flushing, she muttered, "Alright, you win. You can get off me now." He grinned in amusement when she didn't loosen the grip her thighs had on either side of his body, and how she didn't bother to push him any harder than a gentle shove.

After feigning thought for a moment, he let his lips dance dangerously close to hers without making actual contact. "Don't think I'll bother, thanks," he sniggered.

* * *

Fiyero's mind was screaming at him, reminding him of Galinda and how she could turn up at any second. He remembered that Elphaba was the girl he hated with every fibre of his being, and that she loathed him in return. He also recalled that they had agreed to try and get on. Apparently, that plan was working much more effectively than he had anticipated. When had Elphaba's features been smoothed out so much, when had her eyes become so enchantingly brown? When had she become so teasing and attractive? He couldn't place it. All the young man could feel was the sudden lust that filled his body, and he dearly wished that he could act on it.

Elphaba's normally brilliant mind, on the other hand, had almost entirely shut down. All she could concentrate on was the light sensation of Fiyero's lips ghosting across her throat and his deliciously large hands gently sliding to the back of her neck. Through the thick haze of desire that clouded her mind, Elphaba recognised that what had started off as a physical outlet for her dislike of Fiyero had turned into a far more dangerous game, that she should never even consider playing. Apparently, however, her body had other ideas.

* * *

Fiyero's lips grazed Elphaba's jaw just below her earlobe and she shuddered involuntarily, her back arching against his body.

"This is a terrible idea…" she groaned breathlessly, allowing her trembling fingers to unlace from his mess of dark hair and flop bonelessly to the pillow underneath her head. The Prince raised his head to stare into her eyes, and he looked as though he had been jolted back to earth with a bump. With a frustrated sigh, Fiyero rolled to the opposite side of the bed and squeezed his eyes shut.

"What the hell just happened?" he murmured, taking two deep breaths to regain some modicum of coherent thought. His blood was still racing as though he was on some kind of drug, and the dominant part of his mind wanted to pick up where he and Elphaba had left off.

"I'm not entirely sure," the green girl admitted, pulling herself upright. "Whatever it was, it's never going to happen again."

* * *

**Ch'yeah. That's what you think, Elphie. Just you wait, to see what you'll be doing in two chapters time. **


	5. Gone?

**This is just a short chapter to move us along. I don't know if you can tell [you probably can], but I am making this up as I go along. There is no fixed plot or anything of the sort. Anything could happen. Anything, at all.**

**Which is why there will be no juicy Fiyeraba-ness in the next few chapters. Well, there might be a little, but we'll just have to see. Sorry if I misled you by saying two chapters! Please don't sue me, I have nothing. **

**I _did _write a chapter the other night that made me wonder if I should push the rating up...But I think it should be alright, because it's not all horrible and graphic and stuff. It's...maturely and sensitively written, and leaves plenty to the imagination. I'm looking forward to posting that one. I have no idea when I'll slot it in...You'll just have to wait and see! -wink-**

**Anyway! Enjoy!**

* * *

Elphaba's stomach churned in horror as she scuttled away from Fiyero and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She couldn't believe what had just happened, or at least, what had _almost _happened. With narcisstic, egotisical Fiyero fecking Tiggular, of all people! The way her body had reacted of it's own accord made her squirm in mortification. Now, with all of her senses fully restored to her, she couldn't fathom what had made her pin him down in the first place.

Perhaps she had pulled her pleat too tight and caused some sort of brain strain? Or maybe, she reluctantly acknowledged, she just wanted to feel like she was in control, a luxury she never seemed to enjoy around Fiyero.

Not like it really mattered, anyway. She was never going within ten feet of him again. That much she was certain of.

* * *

"You're still here?" Elphaba groaned as she exited the bathroom and spotted Fiyero who was still lounging on her bed. The young man gave her a broad smile in return.

"You sound disappointed," he teased, propping himself up on one elbow and wriggling his eyebrows suggestively in her direction. Elphaba scoffed and crossed to her wardrobe, searching through it for something to wear.

"I am, actually. I was hoping that your girlfriend had arrived and dragged you off to do relationship-y type things. I wonder where she's got to…she didn't even say goodbye this morning! She was gone when I woke up and there was a little note saying that she'd gone to meet you. Weird…" the girl sighed, drawing out a black and grey check blouse and a pair of faded grey jeans. She tossed a smile over her shoulder that contained just enough coyness to be tempting.

In that moment, Fiyero thought she looked absolutely beautiful. The thought came unbidden to his mind, and he tried to block out the rush of warmth that erupted in his abdomen. The way tendrils of her dark hair escaped from the bun she had wound it into and settled enticingly on the nape of her neck and the way she rested her weight on one foot, accentuating curves that literally no-one knew she possessed was enough to drive him crazy.

'_Damn girl!' _he thought.

Elphaba's breath caught in her throat as she caught Fiyero's gaze. It was as open and candid as ever, and, inexperienced as she was, the girl could tell that it was not just hatred that blazed in his cobalt blue eyes. Although she grudged to admit it, Elphaba had to acknowledge that Fiyero was beautiful. He probably wouldn't appreciate that particular adjective, but there was no other word in her extensive vocabulary that could describe the way he appeared to her at that moment.

Just seeing his tall, athletic physique stretched out on her bed made the palms of her hands begin to sweat in nervous anticipation. His dark hair was still mussed from where she had let her fingers wind through it, which came as a surprise as he would normally have fixed it straight away. However, the smug smile that adorned his lips irked her.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped, and his smile immediately upended into an unattractive frown.

"I'm not sure, but it's looking back!" retorted Fiyero, regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Elphaba pressed her lips into a thin line and pointed towards the door.

"Out!" the girl commanded shrilly, an unspeakable sinking feeling taking over her tummy.

"Nothing would please me more."

"Why are you still here then? _Go_!"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"**Bugger off, Fiyero**!" Elphaba yelled, lunging across the room and propelling him towards the door. The young man observed with poorly disguised amusement just how little the green girl was, and realised that she much be from Munchkin stock. Tall Munchkin stock, granted, but Munchkin nonetheless.

"Alright, alright! Consider me gone. Ask Galinda to text me when she gets back," was all he said before bounding off along the corridor and down the stairs.

* * *

Elphaba slumped against the door and rubbed her eyes, suddenly very weary despite the earliness of the hour. Out of the corner of her sharp eyes she saw a pink frill protruding from Galinda's wardrobe. Highly out of character, considering that the blonde was a bit of a neat freak and required everything to be in it's proper appointed place.

The green girl crossed the room and opened the door of the wardrobe to push the offending ruffle inside more securely. She paused for a moment and opened the other door, then moved onto Galinda's section of the chest of drawers. Her heart beating wildly in panic, Elphaba discovered that apart from an unsightly fuchsia dress and a pair of canary yellow stiletto heels, Galinda's clothes were all gone.

Every last item had disappeared, and the owner along with them.

* * *

**Hm. Strange. Galinda's not really the type to go running off, is she? **


	6. Just a Small Town Girl

**Hello... =D Thank you for all of the nice reviews, they make me a very happy little lady. Um...Yeah. I think that's all. I hope you all continue to enjoy my story.**

* * *

"All passengers boarding the eleven forty eight service to the Emerald City, please make your way to Platform Four now," the smooth voice of a man announced over the loudspeaker. Galinda looked up from her lap and smiled to herself. This was the beginning of the life _she _wanted. With self assured strides, the blonde marched towards the doors that lead o the train, her single pink backpack slung over her right shoulder.

She had deliberately booked a second class seat, just in case anyone in the first class recognised her. A part of her felt guilty for leaving Shiz without telling anyone where she was going, but Galinda knew fine well that Elphaba would have tried to stop her.

Yes, Elphaba would have tried to stop her! It wouldn't matter that the green girl herself had encouraged Galinda to follow her heart…She wouldn't approve if she knew. She would scold and admonish and harp on about her social position and her duty to society and all that kind of crap. Galinda understood that it was better that Elphaba didn't know.

It was better that Fiyero didn't know either. She had been head over heels in love with the _idea _of him, but the actual person he was wasn't of much interest to her. Galinda couldn't even tell if he loved her or not. She had a sneaking suspicion that he didn't, not really; not the way everyone thought he did. That was one of Fiyero's greatest skills, acting. He had a perfect poker face, and not until she reflected on her own life did Galinda recognise his persona as just that. A guise. A front. A façade.

There were moments when she would catch him by himself, humming a song under his breath and doodling delicate pencil sketches of people and objects. Once or twice she had seem him clamp his mouth closed just after starting to speak. This always happened during conversations [if they could be called that] with Elphaba, on the few occasions his well constructed mask slipped and a spark of genuine interest could be seen in his eyes. There was one time a few weeks ago, she had found him reading behind the science labs. That in itself had been enough to almost kill her.

Indeed, it was better that he didn't know where she was. She half suspected he wouldn't even care anyway.

* * *

"Can I have a room?" Galinda asked politely, shifting uneasily from foot to foot in the dirty hallway of the hotel. The woman behind the counter looked up from a tatty romance novel and gave her a lopsided grin.

"Sure, honey. What's the name?" she queried, her chipped scarlet fingernails poised over the keyboard of the computer. The blonde bit her lip nervously, unsure whether to give her own name, or make one up.

"Glindii," she stammered, "Glindii Updahill.". She tried to keep her face expressionless, but a flash of incredulity crossed it as she reflected on the ridiculous name. Apparently, thinking for herself was going to take some practise.

* * *

Sighing, she arranged her clothes in order of colour and matched the shoes up with the appropriate outfit, making sure everything was in a precise order. The tumbledown wardrobe was barely big enough to hold many of her clothes, but leaving them in the backpack would just crumple them, so the blonde made do with what she had.

Galinda crossed to the double bed with the ugly floral cover and folded the top edge over once, twice, three times, then folded the corner over so that the edge was in line with the side of the bed: it left a perfect gap for her to slide into before pulling the duvet over herself. It was what she always did, how she lived her life, and there were some things she couldn't bear to change.

People always thought Elphaba was the idiosyncratic one, what with her daily attire of black or grey jeans, black or grey t-shirt and black army boots with a black beanie hat and her hair tied into a pleat, or the way she stacked her books in order of size, subject and **weight**. Galinda realised that they were extremely mistaken. Elphaba's quirks were positively _normal_ compared to her own obsessions.

As she crawled into bed, Galinda pondered what she would do now that she had liberated herself from convention. Her dearest wishes in life, as far as her career went, were either to be an artist or a photographer. She realised that she could enrol in art school the next morning and amaze them with her talent with a pencil or a brush. A small problem occurred to her as she turned onto her other side. Money.

Of course, as an Upland of the Upper Uplands, she had _plenty _of money at her disposal, but wouldn't borrowing money from her Popsicle rather defeat the object of the exercise? No, she would have to find herself a job to pay her way through art school, even if that meant witnessing for eighteen hours a day or walking the dogs of the 'rich' people [people who, back home, wouldn't have had a high enough status to lick her shoes] around Emerald Park.

Galinda was frightened, and vaguely regretted her decision. At the same time, she was thrilled. She couldn't waitto begin her own life.

However, the name 'Glindii Updahill' _really _had to go.

* * *

Elphaba paced back and forth in front of Fiyero's dorm room door, biting her nails in agitation. She didn't especially want to knock, not after the embarrassing incident of yesterday morning, but she knew he'd want to know that his darling Galinda had run off.

Steeling her nerves, she thumped the door loudly with her fist, figuring that a loud noise would be more likely to seep into his semi-dormant brain.

"Who is it?" Fiyero's rich tenor voice boomed from within. Elphaba called out her identity, and after a pause was told to come in.

Fiyero was sitting at his desk with a sketchpad open in front of him, his hand and forearm cleverly placed to shield whatever he had been drawing from view. He smiled politely at her and motioned to the armchair by the window, which she refused with a dismissive wave.

"Galinda's clothes are gone, and she never came back at all yesterday," Elphaba said quickly, trying to peer around him at the sketch pad. He slid it under a pile of paper, which allowed her to resume her pacing and nail biting. The Prince cocked his head in confusion.

"What do you mean, her clothes are gone? She's not walking around naked again, is she? I told her not to do it, but she doesn't lis-" he began with a grin, but was cut off by Elphaba shooting him a toxic glare.

"No, I mean all of her clothes are gone, and she's gone with them. Her curling iron is gone, her favourite pink backpack is gone, her cherry red sparkly lipstick is gone…Everything is _gone_, Fiyero!" she cried, her face a fusion of confusion, worry and desperation. The girl wound her fingers together in anxiety and turned her pleading brown eyes upon Fiyero.

"Oh…you mean like, _gone? _Oh God. You're joking, right? She can't have just disappeared! I mean…She wouldn't just go…She- okay. Let's stay calm. Do you have any idea where she's gone? Maybe she just went to do her laundry or something!" he reasoned, placing a reassuring hand on Elphaba's shivering shoulder.

"With all of her jewellery, family pictures, slippers and perfume? I don't think so, somehow! God, you're stupid!" the green girl spat in reply, knowing that she shouldn't be taking this out of Fiyero.

For once, Fiyero let the jibe go and instead continued to stroke soothing circles on her shoulder, contemplating pulling her in for a hug. Unsurprisingly, Elphaba shrugged him off when he tried to do so. He could see the frustrated tears forming in the corners of her eyes now, and yet the expression in them remained hard and impassive, as though she was trying to fight her feelings.

Upon hearing Elphaba's troubled sniff, he had another go at pulling her to his chest, and this time she obliged. She stood stiffly against him, her arms trapped against his chest. The girl was unwilling to cry in front of him again, remembering the last time he had caught her. Even if it was just Fiyero, having a comforting presence around when she needed it was a new experience, and his arms were a very welcome haven, even if just for a second while she sorted her head out.

Fiyero rocked her absently, his mind darting around all the places Galinda might go. Shopping? _'With all her clothes? Really, Fiyero!' _Elphaba's voice sighed inside his head, and he almost let out a chuckle. Maybe she just felt homesick, and jumped the train back to the Pertha Hills after all? _'She would have told us that, Fiyero!' _Elphaba's voice reprimanded again, and this time a tiny snicker escaped his lips.

In one swift movement, Elphaba had sprung away from him, her posture defensive. "Are you laughing at me?" she cried, her teeth bared threateningly.

"What? No! I was actually laughing at my own stupidity," Fiyero replied honestly, not mentioning that yes, in essence, he _had _been laughing at her.

"Oh."

"So shall we grab a cup of coffee, sit down, try to calm your nerves and try to think of where Glin might be?" he suggested.

Elphaba considered, then replied, "Sure. Sounds like a good idea. Let's think. Or at least, I'll think, you try and keep up,"

Once again, Fiyero let the dig slide, and simply decided to agree with her for a quiet life.

"Touché, mademoiselle."

* * *

**No idea when I'll update again, as I'm very busy in college just now. I promise not to forget all about it though. **


	7. Coffee and Plans

**Hi! Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm afraid that I'm far too busy and far too lazy to reply to each one individually, so just know that I appreciate every single one and would reply if I had time. **

**I'm really enjoying writing this story, but I have like a zillion other ideas flitting around my head. Hopefully, I'll get to them all in due course. **

**Okay, I'll shut up now. There's a 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S.' reference in here. Free dance class with Fiyero for the first person to spot it! **

**Remember to review, my pretties! **

* * *

"Are you calm enough to talk?" Fiyero queried, handing Elphaba a mug of coffee. She nodded and perched stiffly on the edge of his bed, gripping the cup so tightly her knuckles turned a few shades closer to white. Fiyero tossed himself onto the other side and curled up against his pillows, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Okay. So, Galinda is gone," Elphaba stated, eliciting a snort of amusement from Fiyero. "And I have no idea where in Oz she might have disappeared to," she finished rigidly, shuffling back a little to lean on the footboard of the bed.

"Maybe she decided to go home. You know as well as I do how much she misses her family," Fiyero tried, tossing her a pillow so she could be more comfortable.

"Don't be ridiculous, she would have told us!"

"Well, it was worth a shot, wasn't it? Galinda and I never really did much actual _talking_, so I don't really know all that much about her," Fiyero admitted diffidently, a faint flush creeping to his cheeks.

Elphaba wasn't at all surprised by this information. The Prince and the heiress's relationship, although affectionate, had always seemed somewhat superficial. It was actually sort of sad, in a way, that their relationship had never taken an even remotely deep turn. Of course, Elphaba was still sure they loved each other, there was no doubt in her mind about that.

"I'm sorry about that. She's a really sweet girl to be friends with," she said softly, bestowing a rare, sympathetic smile upon Fiyero, much to his surprise.

"Yeah, I know…" he shrugged, ducking his head awkwardly. Elphaba cleared her throat loudly and stared into the bottom of her coffee cup, for once lost for words.

"Right, so we've agreed she wouldn't have gone home without telling us." She was determined to thrash out where Galinda would be, regardless of how long it took. Fiyero corrected her with a haughty grin, "No, you said so and I just kept my mouth shut."

"It would be wise for you to continue doing so, Your _Highness_."

"Don't you even want my help, Your…_Elphaba-ness_?"

"Not particularly,"

"Then why did you come here?"

"I…Well…Okay. You got me on that one,"

"I win!"

"You never win, Tiggular," Elphaba shot back, lifting her fist to punch him on the arm. It was like an echo of the events of that morning, and they both realised it simultaneously. Elphaba's emerald hand fell heavily to her lap, her next words dying on her lips.

* * *

Fiyero noticed how she avoided looking him in the eyes, and it annoyed him. Granted, a lot of his fan girls avoided looking him in the eyes because they were a little awed and frightened by his very presence. With Elphaba, it was entirely different. She would usually keep her eyes downcast, and would only glance up every now and again through her thick black lashes. Whenever she did this, the intensity of her gaze was startling, and Fiyero always had the distinct feeling that she could see right through his extremely well rehearsed act. He had an idea that she could tell he wasn't all he seemed.

Suddenly, Elphaba's head shot up and her eyes connected with his in this disconcerting fashion, only she was smiling.

"I've got it!" she squeaked, clapping her hands together in excitement. Holding her gaze as best he could without passing out from unintentional, unwelcome weakness at the knees, Fiyero replied, "Oh you do, do you? What, I mean, who, I mean- uh…What have you got?". Elphaba raised an eyebrow at him and looked away, releasing him from the magnetic power of her gaze.

"I know where Galinda's gone!" smiled the green girl, an air of smugness creeping into her tone. A short pause followed.

"Alright, don't keep me in suspense. Where is she?" Fiyero sighed, crawling towards Elphaba a little as though to get a share of her enthusiasm.

"She's off to the Emerald City!"

* * *

"Well, yes. These have potential, miss. I suppose we could squeeze you into our degree course. How would you like to pay your fees?" the man in the blue suit asked sedately, handing a form over for Galinda to sign.

"That would depend on how much the fees **are**, Sir," the blonde replied gently, her heart thrumming uncomfortably in her chest. Another sheet of paper was handed to her, and her cerulean eyes bugged out. "_This much for a term_?" she squeaked. The man in the blue suit stared at her like she was an idiot.

"No, dear, that's the phone number in case you have any questions. I haven't told you the fees yet!" he sighed, reaching across the desk and patting her hand consolingly. It was obvious he now thought her a little simple. Galinda barely managed to hold back her mortified tears.

With a milky tea sat in front of her and her favourite kind of blueberry muffin, Galinda reflected on the whole University episode with embarrassment. It seemed to be that everywhere she went, people saw her as nothing but the token dumb blonde.

Like a bolt of lightening or Elphaba's palm as it collided with Fiyero's cheek, it hit her.

Blonde. She would have to dye her hair. The thought alone struck fear into her very core, but the young woman recognised that no longer being a blonde may gain her some credibility. Personally, Galinda didn't have any preference between blonde, dark or red hair on other people, but on herself, she was sure nothing but shimmering gold would look right.

Certainly, she would look utterly ludicrous as a redhead; it would drain her completely and she didn't have the bone structure. She would look equally as ridiculous with hair as black as Elphie's…In fact, she wasn't sure they even manufactured dye in that glorious black-purple-blue colour. A more chocolately tone, however, would suit her perfectly!

For the final time, Galinda Upland exited a room in a whirl of pink clothes and golden curls.

* * *

"The Emerald City?" Fiyero repeated slowly, looking at Elphaba as though she had gone mad. The girl nodded emphatically, her recent conversation with Galinda springing to the forefront of her mind. Fiyero simply cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

"A couple of days ago, when I got back from that walk with you, Glin was a bit upset," Elphaba explained slowly, twisting her fingers together. "She was mad at me for going for a walk with you, even though I technically _didn't _go for a walk with you, and- well. You know that bit. She woke me up like an hour later and we had a talk, and she mentioned how the life she really wants is in the Emerald City."

"The life she _really _wants?" queried Fiyero, fidgeting even closer to Elphaba in a vain attempt to understand. His companion flapped her hands at him and crossed her ankles, swigging her coffee.

"The life she wants is her business, Fiyero. I'm not going to break her confidence and tell you. I just know that's where she'll be, and I've got to go look for her. She can't just abandon us without a word! She can't forget all about her family and the rest of her friends and the fact she has a position in society to uphold." Elphaba's tone was hard and unyielding.

"Why do I get the feeling you actually encouraged her to do this?"

"It's not like I expected her to really _do_ it, Fiyero. I thought the whim would pass and she'd be content with the life we can give her here."

"Well, are you going to be content with being all stuffy and detached your whole life?" Fiyero quipped, and Elphaba's eyes, blazing with incomprehensible emotion, connected with his for a brief moment. His tummy lurched like he had misjudged the last step of a staircase, and he had to cast his gaze away.

"I don't know," she murmured slowly, a wall of steel snapping back over her eyes to hide her feelings. "I don't think I want to be this way forever. I doubt anyone will give me the chance to try and change," sighed the girl, draining the last of the coffee from her mug.

Fiyero kept his eyes trained on the wall opposite, studying the school flags and photographs that he had hung there. Tentatively, he reached a hand out and smoothed a strand of flyaway hair out of Elphaba's face. His hand rested lightly on her cheek, forgotten.

"Galinda gave you the chance," he reminded her, not managing to ignore the way her head tilted towards his palm. Her muscles relaxed as she leaned into him.

"And I love her for it. Truly, I do, but I guess changing who I am wasn't enough for her. She's gone and left me, just like everybody else in the bloody world!" Elphaba snapped, a bitter, wounded chuckle issuing from her parted lips.

"I'm willing to give you the chance, if you'll give _me _the same opportunity," offered the Prince, proffering a gentle smile in her direction.

Gratefulness welled up in Elphaba's chest, and she decided to bestow a rare, beaming smile upon her companion before reverting to type and scowling deeply.

"Yes, yes, that's all very well and good. But what are we going to do about Galinda?" she interposed, her spine becoming ramrod straight once again and her hands clasping rigidly in her lap.

"No idea," shrugged Fiyero. He had forgotten about the blonde for a minute, but a worry niggled at the back of his mind again at the mention of her.

"I suppose I could go to the City and look for her,"

"And what, precisely, am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know! Go home! Think of your own plan, Tiggular."

"But I don't want to go home…" he whined, sticking his bottom lip out and tilting his chin down, glaring with his best pantomime angry face.

"Get a job?" suggested Elphie nonchalantly. Fiyero wrinkled his nose.

"Not likely. I'll just come with you."

"You what?"

"I'll come with you to the Emerald City!" he grinned happily, swaying from side to side like a child who'd been given too many sugary things.

Elphaba grimaced in horror, but could see no way out of it.

"Oz," she groaned, "Spare me."

* * *

**Tall, brunette Galinda? I'm breaking ALL the rules now. **


	8. Goodbye Galinda

**Yeah. I like this one. :D Once again, thank you for the reviews! By the way, Fiyero wanted to drive to the city. So yeah. They're driving.**

* * *

The basin of land through which the road to the Emerald City ran was infamous for being humid and barren. The houses on the outskirts of Shiz had quickly dwindled in number, soon making way for the odd dilapidated farmhouse; each one the pathetic remnants of a failed attempt at some scrap of life. Even these soon disappeared entirely. The only thing that could be seen in any direction was a flat expanse of scrub land framed by looming hills that appeared to touch the sky.

Seven hours into their journey, Elphaba and Fiyero hadn't spoken to one another. There was no particular reason for it; they hadn't actually fought for a whole day. No. The mood to converse simply hadn't taken them.

Fiyero kept his eyes ahead, staring at the apex of the road in the distance, where it seemed to come to a point, like that of a needle. Elphaba fixed her own gaze on the sky. It was grey and heavy and it gave her a horrible headache.

"Did you bring any painkillers? My head hurts," she stated, screwing her eyes up and wishing for night to fall. Fiyero took a moment to wriggle back into full consciousness, and he blinked rapidly at the girl beside him.

"Sorry?" His voice was still distant, as though he were still mentally swirling down the road at a speed much faster than any car could go.

Elphaba sighed wearily and placed the thumb and forefinger of her right hand on her temples.

"I asked if you brought any painkillers, dearie. There's going to be rain, and it's making me feel ill. We either have pills or you pull over and let us sleep for an hour or two."

"I don't think I have any medicine, Elphie. Sorry," apologised Fiyero quite sincerely. He himself was starting to feel quite weary, but pulling over and going to sleep on such a quiet road just didn't feel safe. "You go to sleep, honey," he added, ignoring Elphaba's grunt of disgust at the automatic pet name.

"What about you?" she asked, curling up as best she could and closing her eyes against the harshness of the sky.

"I'll be fine. The map says there should be a motel around about here anyway. I'll wake you up when we get there," Fiyero assured her, stifling a yawn. Elphaba was already asleep, her neck at an awkward angle. The young man leaned across and slipped his jacket under her head, adjusting her as best he could into a more comfortable position. He didn't want her to be in pain when she woke up, because she would take it out on him. Sure. That was all.

* * *

Galinda held her fists tightly in her lap, streams of tears pouring down her cheeks as the stylist hacked away at her beautiful curls. It felt as though she was losing her identity as she watched each golden coil float elegantly to the floor.

When the deed was done, and the colour was changed, the girl didn't know herself. She looked older and smarter, and if anything the style only made her beauty more pronounced, but in a sophisticated way. As much as she hated it, she actually sort of liked it.

In an abstract kind of way, it made her look like Elphie. She missed Elphie.

If anyone had happened to be looking into Room 49 of the West Jade Hotel in the Emerald City that night, they wouldn't have seen Galinda Upland as she once was. She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, prising stick on gems from her best jeans and carefully unstitching some ostentatious design she had put onto every single one of her plain t-shirts. Even more than that, her once luscious blonde curls had disappeared. They were now replaced by a dark chocolate pixie cut and an irritatingly long fringe that seemed to flop into her eyes any time she moved a fraction of an inch.

To her left, the day's newspaper was opened to the jobs section and her blue eyes scanned the page every few seconds.

"I'm _not _trying out new drugs to see allergic reactions…what that would do to my skin…not enough money…" she muttered, tossing down the jeans and picking up the paper, scoring through the offending advert with a red marker pen.

At the bottom left hand corner of the page, there was a pink and black advert that read 'Beautiful girls needed to waitress in classy, upmarket bar. Competitive pay, mostly evening work'. Interesting. Galinda dialled the number and after two rings a woman with a low voice answered.

"Hello, the Oscar Diggs Gentleman's Club, how can I help you?" she queried, her tone suggestive. Galinda raised an eyebrow.

"Um…Hello. My name is…Glinda. I'm calling about the job advert? For the waitress?"

"Oh right. Sure." The woman's voice lost it's seductive tone, and became more businesslike. "Well, if you want to pop down tomorrow for a little interview? It shouldn't take long."

"Do I need to bring anything?"

"Just yourself and a pair of high heels. Really high heels that make your legs look long."

'_Strange request,' _thought Galinda as she hung up. Mind you, it was her first interview, so she didn't know what to expect. Perhaps this was normal? She sincerely doubted it.

* * *

When Elphaba's eyes opened, she had no idea where she was. Her body stiffened in panic as she struggled to focus on _something _in the dimness. The suffocating blackness of the room was a terrifying throwback to her childhood. Memories of being left alone in the dark for days on end filtered into her consciousness, and she let out a frightened whimper.

"Elphaba?" a weary voice murmured somewhere to her right, and soon a large hand closed around her trembling fingers. Another dry sob escaped her as she continued straining to place herself. "Elphaba, it's alright! I'm here! I'm here, you're fine." The voice was familiar to her, with tones of warmth and tenderness and concern; she was pretty sure that voice didn't normally sound so much like melted chocolate. It was normally more condescending and sarcastic than that.

"F-Fiyero?" she choked out, turning onto her side and coming face to face with the boy she loved hating. As her eyes began adjusting to the dark, Elphaba could see the consoling smile on Fiyero's face.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. The gentle motion soothed her, and her breathing returned to a more normal pace.

"I think so. Where are we?"

"In a motel just off the main route to the Emerald City," replied Fiyero.

"And would you care to explain why we're sleeping in the same bed please?" Elphaba had outwardly returned to her normal disparaging self, but inside she was still shaken. Hiding the way she really felt had become second nature.

"We're not. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, is all. Forgive me for trying to be nice!" the boy spat, hurt. He got up and crossed to the other single bed, climbing in with a haughty toss of his perfect hair.

Elphaba sat up slowly, noticing she was still in her jeans and baggy t-shirt. Fiyero had taken the time to remove her boots, hat and glasses, but had shown uncharacteristic discretion by simply carrying her inside and tucking her into bed. With a sigh, she got up and stumbled her way across to the three large rectangles that she presumed to be suitcases.

Less that quietly, she hauled one onto its back and began to rifle through it, looking for her pyjama trousers.

"Could you keep it down please?" Fiyero requested icily, his pride obviously wounded by Elphaba's lack of gratitude. She rolled her eyes and ignored him, making sure the room was plenty dark before whipping off her jeans and replacing them with the more comfortable flannel trousers. "You know," continued Fiyero more to himself than her, "I don't know why I even bothered to make sure you were alright. I should just have let you be scared. It's not like I really care anyway."

"You do care, you know you do. And I'm grateful, believe it or not," Elphaba assured him, padding over to kneel at the side of his bed.

"Pffft. Not like you showed it," the Prince sniffed, burying his nose into the duvet. The green girl sighed again and shoved his shoulder roughly.

"Move over." she commanded, clambering into bed beside Fiyero and catching his eyes with her resolute gaze. "Thank you for comforting me, Fiyero. It was much appreciated,"

"Are you going to tell me what scared you so much?" he enquired, placated.

"Childhood memories," Elphaba replied simply. "Horrors. Horrors, horrors, horrors…"

Silence fell, as the pair lay close together on the single bed. Once again, Elphaba found herself appreciative of a comforting presence, even if Fiyero wasn't exactly her first choice. His breath was slow and steady on her face, and his eyes were gently closed, signalling he had fallen asleep.

Tentatively, the girl raised one finger and tenderly stroked the soft skin of his cheek, marvelling at the warmth that spread through the pit of her stomach as she did so.

"Is there a reason you're touching me?" Fiyero murmured humorously, a half smile appearing on his face and one eye opening. Elphaba blushed furiously and threw the bedcovers back.

"Sorry, I-" she began, attempting to stand up and go back to her own twin bed. Her companion stopped her by capturing her wrist and pulling her back down next to him.

"Nah, Thropp. You might as well stay here. You're quite cosy," he smirked, ignoring her protests as he tugged her flush against his body, her back against his chest.

"Honestly. You're incorrigible. I can't stand you!"

"Ach, I know. But I guess you're just going to have to get used to it."

"Pig."

"Shut up and go to sleep," Fiyero yawned, yanking the band out of Elphaba pleat and running his fingers through to untangle it. An indignant snort from the young woman made him laugh lightly, then he nuzzled his face into the back of her neck.

"Alrigh'. G'nigh', Elphie…" he added, quickly dropping off to sleep.

"Don't call me Elphie…"

* * *

**So...yeah. Bit boring. I like it anyway. Review, if you want. **


	9. Pillow Talk

Okay, so I should really be learning about articulation and resonance for Vocal Techniques, but all of the lovely reviews for the last chapter spurred me on to post this chapter. I have a test tomorrow, but oh well. I'll live.

**So yeah, thanks for the kind reviews, my lovelies! Um...yeah, if you have any kind of crit AT ALL**** feel free to tell me. I'm here to improve.**

******Oh, by the way, the parts in italic are from Fiyero's (first) and Elphaba's (second) points of view. Just thought I should let you know that. **

******LOLZ. Okay. On we go. **

* * *

Fiyero yawned and stretched his arms up above him, registering the unfamiliar weight on his chest. Cocking his head slightly and cracking open one eye, he was faintly surprised to see Elphaba curled up next to him, her raven head on his breast, their legs tangled together and one of her spidery hands splayed across his abdomen.

Somewhere in his memory, he recalled them having an argument about something or other the night before and somehow ending up cuddling in a ridiculously lover like way.

In sleep, Elphaba somehow seemed to have lost a large portion of her intimidating demeanour. Fiyero, reluctant to wake her, felt privileged to see this side of her. He smiled gently as she mumbled something and let her hand slide to his waist, pulling him closer and cuddling into his side.

She wasn't much like Galinda, who sprawled out across the bed in a star position, claiming every last inch of it for herself. Fiyero himself wasn't normally one who could sleep comfortably while cuddled up with someone; much preferring to keep to his own side of the bed; but Elphaba wasn't overbearing and suffocating like many of the girls he had experienced. She was simply nestled contentedly into the side of his body, and the Prince found he didn't actually mind.

* * *

_She's actually quite cute when she's asleep. HA! If only she could stay like this all the time! At least she's quiet, which is a really big bonus. She talks too much. I guess she's just…passionate. Is that the right word? Yeah. Passionate about every little tiny detail of the world. It much be exhausting, man. I wonder if she's that hot-blooded in every aspect of her life…_

_Ew! No! I did __not__ just think that! That's totally gross. It's just the Artichoke. Greenie. Asparagus Girl. It probably doesn't even have the right equipment for…_

_Oz, who am I kidding? I can't call her 'It' anymore. It's not fair. Not that I'll tell Elphaba that. Naaah. Who cares if I think she's a little tiny bit pretty from this angle in this light at this time in the morning? I can think what I like about her, and she'll never know. No-one can read my thoughts._

_Wait…What if they can? What if she's wide awake and listening to me thinking __**right now**__? Um, um, um…Hi, Green Girl! Yeah, I was just thinking about how horrible you are! No, that's…Guh. Forget it._

_Here's me thinking I only _pretend _to be dumb to save the bother of showing what I'm really feeling. Maybe all that practise is starting to make perfect. _

_Thinking really is overrated anyway. _

_Screw it._

* * *

"Guh…Too early…" Elphaba muttered, trying to swat away the fingers that were slowly combing through her lustrous hair. The vibration of a chuckle directly underneath her right ear made the girl screw her nose up and wriggle in displeasure.

"Come on, Elphaba. Time to wake up!" Fiyero laughed, picking up one her hands and kissing it with a '_smack!_'. Still not fully conscious, Elphaba giggled at the boy's antics, opening her russet and emerald eyes to look up at him.

"You're ridiculous." stated she by way of greeting. In her opinion, there was no better way to start the day than by insulting someone.

"Hm, yes, so I've been told," Fiyero smiled, reaching over her small body for her glasses. "Head up." Elphaba did as she was told, and her companion slid the delicate black frame onto her nose with unexpected deftness.

"Thank you. And to what do I owe the honour of waking up in bed with the one and only Fiyero Tiggular, Crowned Prince of the Arjiki tribe of the Vinkus, Most Eligible Bachelor of Ozmopolitain Magazine and winner of the EC Fashion Weekly 'Most Charming Butt Award' three years running?" the green girl sniggered, somehow managing to fit all of this into one breath. Fiyero played at being offended.

"You left out 'scandalicious reputation and divinely good looking, wanted by every woman who has ever set eyes on him'."

"Sorry, but that's really a matter of opinion. To avoid argument, I'll compromise. What you just said, too,"

"The short, concise answer would be to say that I can't remember why you ended up here,"

"Did you just say concise?"

"Yeah. Why? Did I put it in the wrong context? Should I have said succinct?"

"I don't think it really matters."

"Then why the disbelief?"

"It's just the amount of big words that are coming out of your mouth today. It's impressive," Elphaba conceded with a wicked little smirk.

"What time is it?" Fiyero asked after a few minutes of quiet. Elphaba huffed and looked at the clock over his shoulder.

"Eight. We should probably head off soon. The sooner we get to the City, the sooner we find Galinda and bring her home," she replied, absentmindedly trailing circles around Fiyero's navel, enjoying the soft texture of the t-shirt he wore. The young man rolled onto his side so that their noses were almost touching. Elphaba relocated her meditative circles to the small of his back, and he daringly laid his own hand on her waist. She glanced warily at him, but didn't shrug it off.

"Eugh. I don't even like driving that much," he muttered after a heavy pause.

"I could drive, if you want."

"You can drive?"

"Sure I can drive! I passed my test and everything."

"You did?"

"Yeah! Well…I passed the theory part. The actual driving bit? Not so much," Elphaba admitted, a heat rising to her face. Much to her dismay, Fiyero tossed his head back and laughed.

"Elphaba Thropp failed a test?" he guffawed gleefully, ignoring the killer glare that was being tossed in his direction.

"In my own defence," interjected Elphie, "the examiner was a bitch. A big bitch. A really big bitch. She hated me! As soon as I got into the car she marked something on her clipboard with this horrible sour look on her face. I did everything right!"

"Sure, I believe you."

"I really did!"

"Okay."

"Right."

"Breakfast?" Fiyero grinned happily. Elphaba groaned.

* * *

_Does he _never _stop? He's entirely incorrigible. That's going to be my word for him now. Hopeless, unruly, childish, uncontrollable. Irritating. There are so many words to describe him. What does Galinda even __**see **__in him? He's rude, uncouth and egotistical, not to mention a wholly disagreeable conversationalist. _

_But in the same instance, there's those eyes of his. I can't help but notice there's something unhappy about them; it's a bit like figuring out how a magic trick is performed, and the illusion is totally ruined by the reality. He's full of boyish bravado - full of shit, really - on the outside. But I don't know if I believe that's who he is on the inside. _

_I can't seem to keep up with what he's thinking. Until a couple of days ago, I wouldn't have believed him __**capable**__ of thinking! He hasn't once mentioned Galinda this morning, even though he was all of a worry a couple of days ago. I said her name and there was no spark of emotion. Doesn't he care about her? She could be lying dead or dying in a back alley somewhere and we're all snug and warm in bed together in this mangy little motel! _

_Oz, I hope she's alright. This is why I shouldn't think so much; it makes me panic. I don't know whether I'm more worried about her being raped and murdered or her murdering __me__ for sleeping in the same bed as her boyfriend for a night. _

_I really don't get him! If he totally hates me, then why is he lying all mashed up against me like there's something going on? More to the point, why am I letting him? I don't even understand myself anymore. I'm not even attracted to him. I still feel complete loathing for him most of the time. Pulse rushing, head reeling, face flushing…See? I can't stand him!_

_And now I'm have arguments with my subconscious. Great. Fantastic. Apparently another trip to the Shrink is in order, I suppose. See, if he knew I'd been to see a psychiatrist, he'd run away screaming. That's why I won't do what Glin says and tell him all that horrible stuff. _

_I guess I quite like his eyes. They're really quite lovely, in a weird way. I think cobalt blue is my favourite colour, not that he'd understand why if I told him. _

_Not that I'm going to tell him. _

_He wouldn't understand._

* * *

"You know, I think you'd do better as one of our dancers, sweetheart," the woman with bright pink hair grinned, lazily flicking her cigarette into the Quadling glass ashtray at her right hand. Glinda (as she had now decided to be known) gawked at her.

"I'm sorry?" she replied weakly, wishing she could escape quickly from this Oz-forsaken house of ill repute.

"Be one of our dancers! You got great carriage when you walk."

"But…this is a _strip _club! I can't dance here!" the ex-blonde cried, leaping to her feet in indignation. The woman with the pink hair laughed with a voice that was cracked from too much booze and cigarettes.

"This ain't no _strip club_, thank'ee very much! This is a house of Burlesque! _So _much classier than plain old stripping."

"It still involves taking your clothes off," Glinda's reply was snippy and guarded.

"Yeah, but in a special way. Any old stripper can be totally naked in the same time it takes a burlesque performer to peel off one of her satin gloves. It's real classy, I promise ya! The gentlemen comes here to get left wanting more, and the gentlewomen comes here to learn how to control their husbands."

"No, thank you."

Glinda left quickly.

In all honesty, this was one of the better neighbourhoods in the city. The houses were pretty and neat, standing proudly side by side for miles. Mostly, they had three marble steps leading up to a polished black front door, framed by Gillikinese pillars. The cafe that Glinda had taken refuge in was only a couple of doors down from the 'Gentleman's Club', and it had little wrought iron tables and chairs covered with white linen tablecloths. Young families strode by without a care in the world, and the former blonde reflected on the job offer.

Truthfully, she really did need the money. She danced well, and had a talent for making men drop at her feet with just a glance. Perhaps...No. She couldn't degrade herself in that way. But by the same token...

Glinda considered for a moment. She wanted to go to art school. Art school had fees. For fees she needed money. Money, she needed a job. Right before her eyes, a job presented itself.

She charged back into the club to find the pink haired woman sitting in the exact same place, waiting for her. Upon seeing the girl, she grinned smugly.

"It can be as simple as a glove or a shoulder strap or something? You don't have to go the full way?" Glinda quizzed, her heart beating frantically in discomfort or excitement or some emotion she couldn't name.

"_Sure_! Just remember, you always gotta leave 'em wanting more, kid."

"Fine. Deal."

* * *

**Oopsies. She has a habit of getting into trouble. :3 **


	10. Just Shut Up And Kiss Me

**Oh, I don't know. I'm stuck in a rut with this story, and now I have a job to add onto my heavy college workload. So yeah, sorry. **

* * *

The day was similar to the day before; dense and hot with looming storm clouds hovering ominously over the mountains in the distance. Elphaba had relegated her heavy hoodie to the back seat and had her legs kicked up on the dashboard of the car; her bony knees drawn to her chest.

"What's that?" she murmured quietly, gesturing vaguely at what appeared to be a tiny village of black cloth erected in the middle of one grassy plane. She looked at Fiyero questioningly, and was startled to see a massive grin on his face.

"I can't believe it!" he cried, swerving the car and accelerating towards the area.

"What? What is it?"

"It's a Vinkun Flea Market! I haven't seen one of these since I was a kid! I thought they'd died out." His enthusiasm was infectious, and Elphaba felt a thrill of excitement as they approached what turned out to be a small cluster of black tents.

People with light olive skin so similar to Fiyero's own milled around in old fashioned peasant garb, many of them possessing inky black hair and wide brown eyes. Various stands had been set up, including a table laden with fascinating jewellery and draped with silk scarves. Another stand held some kind of fruity delicacy, the enticing smell of which wafted close to Elphaba and made her head spin. Clothes, toys, books and trinkets were displayed in every tent, and Fiyero soon dashed off to have a nose around.

Everything about the little market seemed heightened, from the vivid colours splashed around to the driving rhythm of the drums played by a little boy in the central square. To Elphaba, this was a whole new entity, and she was entirely captivated.

Fiyero sorted through a display of scarves, noting with satisfaction that they were certainly made of only the finest Vinkun silk, probably sourced from the silkworms kept by the Scrow tribe. As the most sought-after textile in Oz, this particular brand of silk was extremely expensive. At the bottom of the pile lay a black silk shawl. When he picked it up, it ran through his fingers as smoothly as water, and it had a pretty pattern of bright red poppies emblazoned on the background. The fringing along the edges was green.

"How much is this?" he asked the older man who sat behind the table, eyeing the Prince warily. Fiyero couldn't tell if the man knew who he was, but he was evidently a nomad, so it was unlikely.

"Forty," the man replied simply, holding his hand out to receive the coins.

"You're so lucky she's worth it…" he muttered in disgust, depositing the correct amount of money into the callused palm.

* * *

"Wow, nice! Is it a present for Galinda when we find her?" Elphaba smiled as he approached, allowing her eyes to skim over the silk garment. Fiyero stuttered to a halt. He hadn't thought about Galinda.

"Um…no, actually," he admitted reluctantly, holding the shawl out to the girl. "It's for you. I thought…I thought it'd look really pretty on you." He smiled cautiously as she took the gift and ran it between her hands, obviously getting a feel for it.

"Thank you," she murmured, offering a small, appreciative grin in return. No-one had ever given her a gift before, not even Galinda…mainly because Elphaba had threatened to drop all of her hair utensils into the Suicide Canal if she tried. A present from Fiyero, of all people, was most unexpected.

And something so pretty, too! Elphaba hadn't reckoned on the Prince being able to choose something that she wouldn't clash hopelessly with. Apparently, however, he had selected an item that would suit her beautifully. Glad of her simple black tank top, the girl draped the shawl around her thin shoulders and gave Fiyero another shy smile.

The young man could tell that she didn't know what to say to him. With a jolt at his own stupidity, he realised she would probably be more comfortable when their almost-relationship was back in a more recognisable zone.

"Come on, Thropp. We don't have all day," Fiyero sighed heavily, glad to see the tension in her shoulders release at the sound of her surname.

"You might not have all day, Tiggular, but I sure as hell don't care. I want to keep looking around here for a while," Elphaba retorted, at ease once again. He sent scathing glare in her direction, and they both knew they were back on familiar territory.

"What more could you possibly want?" he cried, flailing his arms. "I just bought you the prettiest thing in this market!"

"Oh, I don't know. This necklace is very pretty. So is this dress-"

"I thought you didn't like showing too much skin?"

"I don't, but that doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to like the dress."

"Actually, I think you would look…That is, your skin is-"

"Don't even say what I know you're thinking. My skin is horrible," Elphaba was immediately on the defensive; skin had always been a touchy subject.

"What? I wasn't going to-"

"Yes you were! Don't even try to lie about it!" she bawled childishly, stomping off in the direction of the car. Fiyero watched her go, utterly perplexed.

* * *

It started to rain. An awkward silence reigned inside the car, with Elphaba staring resolutely out of one window and Fiyero keeping his gaze transfixed on the road ahead, his blood boiling. Suddenly, the girl spoke in a cutting voice.

"I can't believe I had actually started to think that you were a half decent person. I suppose it just goes to show that I should always trust my instincts about people. They've always been right before. I mean, my father- that is, my mother- my brother and sister, they…Never mind. Just don't talk anymore," she commanded, shrinking further into the corner. Fiyero ears pricked up at the vague mention of her family, but understood not to push it when she was in this mood.

They drove for another couple of hours in silence 'til they reached the next motel and checked in. Keeping silent was difficult for both of them, but sheer stubbornness won out. Until, at least, Fiyero lost his patience with Elphaba's constant injured sighs. Taking a bite of a chicken sandwich, he couldn't refrain from speaking any longer.

"You were wrong, you know," Fiyero began hotly, the pang of her unwarranted yelling still fresh. "I wasn't going to say that your skin was terrible or that you'd look ridiculous in that dress.". Elphaba raised her eyes from the book she had been reading and fixed her dispassionate gaze on the speaker.

"Oh really?" she mused, turning the page with less enthusiasm as normal. Fiyero reached across and took the thing from her hands, paying no notice to her cry of protest.

"Yes, really. What I was _going _to say was that I think you should wear dresses more often, because you obviously have _some_ kind of figure under those baggy clothes that would look great in something more feminine. Oh, and for the record? Your skin isn't horrible. It's actually sort of pretty, once you get used to it. I quite like it, and I know Galinda does too." He threw that bit in for good measure, knowing that mentioning the blonde would appease Elphaba, even if only slightly. Sadly, the young prince didn't know the green girl as well as he thought.

"As lovely as the sentiment is, you've had plenty of time to rehearse that in your head. So yeah, goodnight!" she said stiffly, scrambling under the covers and turning her back on him.

"Oh come on. A guy goes all deep and soppy to apologise to you and you turn your back on him? No wonder you've never had a boyfriend! No guy can stay around you for too long without getting his head bitten off. You're a total _witch_!" he spat nastily, hurt at her distrust of his sincerity. Elphaba did not reply. She discreetly bit back the tears and pulled the duvet over her head to hide her from the hateful boy's view.

A little while later, as Fiyero busied himself with arranging his pillows in the correct order, a small voice reached his ears.

"Am I really that despicable?" Elphaba murmured, apparently to herself. Suddenly, Fiyero felt guilt-ridden and shamefaced. He sat up in bed and turned the lamp on, casting remorseful eyes upon the girl in the bed opposite.

"No. You're not," he replied emphatically. The Thropp girl started and turned over, her expression surprised.

"I thought you were asleep!" she said carefully, shielding her eyes from the bright light.

"I was too angry to sleep."

"Oh. Right. Goodnight again, then."

"Wait, Elphaba. I really owe you an apology," Fiyero admitted, hanging his head. He hated apologising; it made him feel weak. His conscience insisted that this one was necessary, even if it did wound his pride. "I had no right to say those things to you. It was cruel and completely uncalled for. I don't know if it's possible for you to hate me any more than you did before, but I totally understand if you do."

"I don't _hate _you, Fiyero," Elphaba sighed, distractedly picking up the silk shawl from where it hung over the end of her bed. She draped it around her shoulders once more and wound her fingers through the fringing: it blended with her skin tone.

"You have every right to hate me, though. I was a real-"

"Pig? Asshole? _Rat_? Well, I can't deny it. But no…I don't hate you. I guess you're not that bad. I deserved that for going off at you for nothing again. I think I actually sort of _like _you. You're kind of cool."

Not that Elphaba could admit it to herself, but there were other words at the forefront of her mind about what she felt for Fiyero. Her astute intellect was struggling to process the foreign emotions, and, frightened, she didn't know what to say to him when he smiled broadly at her. The intense relief exhibited in his crystalline eyes was disarming, and for only about the second or third time she could see why so many girls fell at his feet.

Fiyero beckoned her over and tossed the covers back, inviting her to cuddle up with him again. Elphaba bit her lip, the sensible part of her brain telling her to stop being so utterly preposterous. Her normal self had an eye roll ready and a scathing remark hovered precariously on the tip of her tongue: the part that still thought she hated him.

The other much smaller, yet more dominant part of her made her want to accept his invitation. A flood of excitement and dread saturated her chest and her tummy began to squirm in an extremely pleasant manner.

"Incorrigible," she muttered with a feigned grimace, hopping over the short gap and leaping contentedly into his outstretched arms.

"Ha. You love me for it," Fiyero replied smugly.

"I'm surprised you know what the word means," mocked Elphaba good naturedly, granting an uncharacteristically flirtatious glance through her eyelashes. The Prince laughed and wrapped his arms companionably around her waist, glad that they seemed to be able to come back from such a big argument with relative ease.

Lapsing into silence, their eyes found each other. Elphaba's breath began to come in deep, nervous shudders as Fiyero's penetrating gaze searched her face. Timidly, she moved a fraction closer to him, allowing her hands to settle lightly on his broad shoulders. His own were in the curve of her waist, his thumbs gently caressing her sides. Their lips were slightly parted as they regarded one another nervously.

"I really, _really _want to kiss you right now," Fiyero admitted softly, Elphaba's grip tightening as he pulled her closer. She swallowed audibly.

"What's stopping you?" was the breathless reply, a faint quaver in her voice.

"Fear. I don't want you to punch me," chuckled the young man, making himself look over her head at the window. Elphaba decided to bite the bullet. She slid her arms around his neck and sat up on her knees, flush against him.

"Forget the fear," she whispered, catching his gaze again.

"I-"

"Just shut up and kiss me, Yero." Elphaba commanded.

So he did.

* * *

**Don't go thinking this is over. It's nowhere _near _over yet. **


	11. Unexpected Face

**Oh, come _on_! As if it'd be that easy!**

* * *

Well, _almost_.

Abruptly, Fiyero diverted the path of his lips and planted them gently on her cheek. For some unexplained reason he had lost his nerve, something which he didn't do often. Elphaba laughed quietly and leaned her forehead on his shoulder.

"Thank God for that…" she chuckled, caressing the back of his neck absentmindedly. The Prince laughed along with her, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

"That wouldn't have gone well," he sighed, wrapping his arms around Elphaba's waist and hugging her tightly. The girl nodded and buried her face into his neck, inhaling the musky scent of his aftershave.

"I'm glad you chickened out before I did. I couldn't have done that to Galinda," said Elphaba after a minute or so of silence. Fiyero felt a jolt in his tummy as he recalled the blonde. He had actually forgotten about her!

"Oh…yeah. Neither could I," he replied half heartedly, pulling away and sitting back against the headboard. Elphaba shuffled to sit at his side, her arms folded in a delightfully typical fashion.

"I'm glad you feel that way. She loves you way too much. If you didn't love her as much as you do, that one moment of madness could have ended in disaster," she said.

Fiyero could see the desire in Elphaba's eyes, and knew the same expression was reflected in his own. Privately, he wished he could admit how little he really felt for the blonde, but he knew he couldn't. Elphaba would fly off the handle and accuse him of leading her friend on. With a frustrated sigh, Fiyero closed his eyes tight.

"You okay?" the young woman asked, taking a hold of his hand. Fiyero opened his eyes and looked down at theirintertwined fingers: his own lightly tanned skin went well with Elphaba's emerald.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" he replied, giving her a tight smile. She shook her head impatiently.

"No, you're not. That's not your happy smile! That's your _'I'm-Lying' _smile!"

"What?"

"You keep your lips closed when you're lying about being happy. When you're properly pleased, you can see your nice teeth and you get little dimples in your cheeks. It reaches your eyes, and you look really-" Elphaba stopped and became intent on looking at the pattern on her pyjama trousers. Fiyero was intrigued.

"I look really what?" he smirked, nudging her playfully in the ribs. The green girl shook her head and chuckled self consciously. "Come on!" Fiyero urged.

Elphaba turned her head to look him straight in the eyes, her jaw set. "You look really beautiful. Your face lights up and you just…I love it when you smile like that."

The young woman silently dared Fiyero to give her a smart reply. In all honesty, she hadn't ever consciously considered his smile, but the words had simply flown uncensored from her lips. A small, surprised chuckle escaped the Prince.

"You know, that was really nice of you. Thank you," he grinned, tossing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close in a half hug.

"See, _that's _your happy smile!" she laughed. Fiyero kissed her cheek again and she batted him away playfully, laughing.

* * *

The Emerald City rose in a smoky blur towards the sky. The spires of it's many churches and palaces ascended into the clouds, dwarfed by it's countless soot blackened skyscrapers. Plumes of smoke were emitted from the chimneys of factories, and the roar of thrum of engines and general life was audible, even from a distance. The sun was just beginning to set, which set an orange glow over the city.

Elphaba craned her neck, trying to take in every little detail of the city. She twirled around on the spot in the middle of the street, her arms straight out and a massive smile plastered on her face. She earned a couple of chuckles from passers by, but not in the way she was used to. People normally smirked at her skin, but here, people laughed fondly at her joyous reaction.

"Isn't this place amazing, Yero?" she cried to Fiyero as he walked a couple of steps behind her with the suitcases. He dragged them along the ground, groaning at the burn in his muscles.

"Yeah," he grunted, "It's great. Just great."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic!" chided the green girl, not letting the grin slip from her face.

"I've been here like a zillion times."

"But still! The novelty can't have worn off. Where's your **enthusiasm**?"

"It's kind of hard to be _enthusiastic _when your arms are about to fall off! A little help, here?" the Prince squawked. Elphaba laughed and hurried to his side, easily lifting her own suitcase.

"And why, precisely, do we have to _walk _to the hotel when we have a perfectly good car?" she queried, sliding her arm through his companionably.

"We don't. It's right here," Fiyero laughed, swerving up a set of marble steps. Elphaba tottered up behind him.

"Oh. That's good, then."

* * *

A knock at the door interrupted Fiyero as he unpacked his favourite shirts and hung them in the wardrobe. He crossed the large room and opened it to see a determined looking Elphaba.

"Right. So, where are we going to start looking for Galinda? I recommend the little cafés in the West End, because Glin's a sucker for those little Al Fresco places. Also, I was thinking we could take a picture round, ask folk if they've seen her," she said earnestly, stalking past him and tossing herself carelessly onto the couch next to the window.

"I will do whatever you want me to, Mistress," Fiyero replied, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"In your dreams, Tiggular," smirked Elphaba with a characteristic eye roll. "Seriously, though. Is that okay?"

"Sure, sure. Whatever," he shrugged, resuming the emptying of his suitcase. The green girl narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't question his dismissive tone.

"Well…Okay. How about the picture from your birthday party? The really pretty one where she's laughing," she suggested.

"Yeah."

Elphaba sighed in irritation at Fiyero's lack of interest. "Okay, we start first thing in the morning. Just get changed and we'll go for dinner," she commanded, standing up and taking a step towards the door. The Prince immediately removed his dirty t-shirt without a second glance at her, and Elphaba found herself transfixed by some kind of pattern on his chest.

"What are they?" she quizzed, too surprised to take a step closer so as to see them better. Fiyero glanced up, a meek smile on his face.

"They're tribal tattoos. In the Vinkus, every future King or Queen has to get the blue diamond design. Other royal family members get diamonds in different colours, and members of the tribe who aren't royal get other shapes and colours. I guess it's a coming of age ritual," he grinned sheepishly, absentmindedly tracing a line of the cobalt diamonds that ran down his sternum. Elphaba gulped.

"They're…uh…" she began, but couldn't find the words. The young man's face fell.

"You think they're ugly, don't you?" he sighed, reaching for a clean shirt to put on. Elphaba was horrified at his presumption.

"What? No! I think they're…sort of…" The words still failed her, something that didn't occur very often. "Do you have them anywhere else?" she finished lamely, mentally kicking herself for her lack of nonchalance. The boy turned around.

"My back, clearly," he laughed, indicating the swirling patterns that followed the contours of his powerful muscles. Elphaba swallowed again. This was too much. "When I become King I'll get them on my hands as well, if I want them. The chest are the only mandatory ones. All the others are optional. You can get them anywhere you like."

A sort of strangled concurrence issued from the back of the young woman's throat as she took in the sight of him. He shifted self consciously, unsure of her thoughts.

"They're nice," was all she could manage; anything more articulate lost somewhere in the mists of her mind. Elphaba was glad that Fiyero had bought her a separate room for tonight: she wasn't sure she could sleep in the same room as that body without going crazy.

"I'm glad you think so. Galinda was never too keen on them. She thought they were weird," he laughed sadly, crossing to the full length mirror and gazing into it with an expression Elphaba had never imagined him wearing when faced with his own reflection. He looked unsure, and perhaps a little disappointed with what he saw.

"Don't listen to what she says to you. She's always ranting about how perfect you are; she probably just didn't want to boost your ego any more!" Elphaba smiled cajolingly, pacing up beside him and linking her arm through his again.

"They are a bit strange though, aren't they? And my eyes are wonky: the right is higher than the left. My hair is the most ridiculous colour, I don't know why I don't just shave the whole lot off and be done with it. Oz! Why does that bloody girl keep going on about how perfect I am? I'm clearly not! I'm full of flaws!" Fiyero ranted, glaring at his reflection in the mirror.

Elphaba was taken aback. Keeping a hold of his left arm with her right, she crossed her left across her own slight body to take his hand.

"It's the fact that you can recognise your flaws that makes you perfect, Fiyero!" she whispered soothingly, silently wondering when on earth they had become good enough friends for a comment like that to pass as acceptable. The Prince caught her eyes in the mirror.

"I don't want to be perfect, though. I just want to be me. It seems like that's never enough for people, though."

"It's enough for me. Trust me, you're so much _nicer _when you're just Fiyero. As soon as you put on that arrogant pig persona, everything nice about you just disappears. When you're just talking about something random, like music or something, you're really cool. You're a great guy, and you should show it off to people more."

"Really?"

"Really. Trust me. I wouldn't lie to you," Elphaba smiled warmly as he put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his side and took his hand again. Their skin was warm and smooth against one another.

Silence fell as they took in the sight reflected in the glass: little Elphaba tucked securely under Fiyero's arm, their hands wound together in a tangle of tan and emerald fingers. Their eyes connected through the mirror and an unspoken communication passed between them, though what it meant neither were entirely certain. They both realised at the same time that there was something indisputably fitting about the picture, and the ease with which their bodies fitted together felt incredibly right.

So, of course, they sprang away simultaneously, frightened of where the last thought could lead. Elphaba coughed uncomfortably and Fiyero hurriedly pulled a shirt on (typically, the dirty one he had just discarded).

"Um…Meet you in the lobby in ten minutes?" the girl said too brightly, bouncing with uncharacteristic vigour towards the door.

"Sure," her companion smiled stiffly.

She left quickly.

* * *

Glinda crossed the foyer of the hotel, nerves churning in her stomach. Did she really want to be a _Burlesque _dancer, of all things? Not especially, she decided. But, as usual, she needed the money.

With a sigh, she turned towards the front door and reeled back one, two, three steps. Luckily for her, she had time to dive behind a marble pillar before the person she had _not _been expecting to see spotted her.

"Elphie?" she muttered harshly under her breath. "What the hell are you doing here?"

* * *

**On another note, I'm doing an HND in Musical Theatre at College, and I just found out that our musical this term is 'Honk!'. Yaaay? **

**Okay, so I know you'll probably all hate me for not having them kiss, but it just WASN'T TIME! *dodges flying fruit***

**I'm sorry. Please don't hate me. :(**

**Oh! Thanks for all the reviews :D **


	12. Interlude

**Thanks for the reviews, guys. Muchos appreciated. **

**A lot of people were a bit angry with the lack of kiss in the last chapter. Sorry. :\**

**This chapter sucks. I've lost my muse.**

* * *

This couldn't be happening.

Across the lobby, Elphaba swayed from foot to foot, murmuring the words to some song that was playing in her head. Her green arms swung lazily by her sides as she rocked, an absentminded expression working it's way into her dark eyes.

Glinda noted with satisfaction that she was dressed remarkably well, even if her outfit was almost entirely black. She wore a pair of smart trousers and a tank top with white beading around the neck. She was actually wearing jewellery, even if it was only one chunky black bracelet on her left wrist. Her divine hair was back, as always, only this time in a high ponytail. Elphaba's shoes were the most surprising: though she still wore boots, they actually had a high, slim heel. The former blonde grinned, glad to see that her friend had finally taken some fashion advice on board.

Suddenly, Elphaba's face broke into a broad smile. Glinda gasped as Fiyero stepped into view, looking stunning as usual in a pair of black dress trousers and a white button down shirt. In his large hands he held a black shawl, which he held out to the green girl with a tentative smile. She laughed fondly and allowed him to drape it around her shoulders. Elphaba then dug a hand into her pocket and pulled out a small rectangle of paper and waved it under Fiyero's nose. He smiled accommodatingly and brushed past her, opening the door. The girl rolled her eyes and ploughed outside. Her companion chuckled affectionately and followed.

Glinda couldn't help but feel exceptionally confused. Why had they come? Why did it seem that two people who had been sworn enemies only a week ago were actually getting along? A wave of irritation swept over the former blonde as she felt like she always had at Shiz: stupid and incompetent.

She didn't like it.

* * *

"Hi, have you seen this girl?" Elphaba ventured, showing the waiter a photograph of Galinda she had found in her purse. The older man squinted at it for a moment, certain that he had seen someone who looked at least a _little _like the girl in the photo…only the girl he'd seen had short, dark hair. He told the girl and her companion this, and their faces immediately fell.

"Oh, no. That's not Glin. Thanks anyway," Fiyero sighed, feeling a twinge of regret at Elphaba's defeated expression. He reached across the table and took her hand, thumbing her palm consolingly.

"I thought that as soon as we got here, we'd find her. I mean, who could forget ever seeing Galinda? She's so…bright. Bubbly. Everyone would remember her." The girl sighed dejectedly and stared into her dish of pasta.

"We've only been in the city for two hours, Elphie. Please, calm down!" soothed Fiyero, internally cursing the blonde's utter selfishness. Didn't she know what she was putting her best friend through? Didn't she know that by ignoring their calls and texts and emails and suchlike, she was tearing a little bit of Elphaba's heart out every single time?

"How can I calm down? She's the only friend I have! I can't _lose _her!"

"You've got me, if that counts."

"Well…okay. Yeah. You do count, _now_. But she knows everything about me. Who can ever live up to that?"

"I could try, if you'd tell me everything about you," Fiyero coaxed, knowing that it was going to take a **lot **of trust for his new friend to open up to him.

Elphaba smiled sadly. "I don't think you want to know my story. It's a bit depressing."

"I have plenty of time."

The young woman considered for a moment, apparently ricocheting from one decision to another. After a minute, she shrugged.

"Okay. I'll tell you…but not until we find Galinda."

Grudgingly, the Prince accepted. Once Elphie had made her mind up, there was no swaying her.

* * *

A week into her new job, Glinda found that she was actually enjoying it.

She strutted temptingly across the stage in her spindly high heels, singing in a low, alluring voice. The audience was in utter darkness, but the tension was palpable as it radiated past the footlights to greet her. When the lights moved, she caught a glimpse of a woman, and decided that the term 'Gentleman's Club' was somewhat off the mark. More often than not before a performance, the gentle hum of deep male voices was interspersed with plenty more feminine tones.

Glinda liked this about the club. It wasn't as seedy as she had first thought, and in actual fact she felt more beautiful than she ever had while striding around on the stage. Her gimmick had quickly become mystery. She didn't reveal much of anything, preferring to tease the audience to within an inch of their lives. Also, the money was rather good, so that was an extra bonus that was all too welcome.

While not performing, she practised drawing. Thanks to the appearance of Elphaba and Fiyero, she had to relocate to another hotel, which ruined the routine she had fallen into. Now, though, she was in a somewhat more elaborate room, where she could sketch and doodle to her hearts content. Their was a massive pile of drawing pads at the top right hand corner of the writing desk, and every day another one would be added to the top, utterly full to the brim with practise sketches.

Glinda was confident in her own drawing abilities: she knew she was good. In all truthfulness, the young woman couldn't wait for the summer to end so that she could get to Art college. Odd indeed, as normally she couldn't be bothered with studies of any kind.

Of course, that was Galinda. She was now Glinda, and that little letter made so much difference.

* * *

Elphaba curled up in bed and buried her head under the duvet to block out the sound of the heavy rain. Summer storms were normal where she came from, so that wasn't what bothered her. The intense heat wasn't too annoying either. In actual fact, she was beginning to worry that they were _never _going to find Galinda. She and Fiyero had been in the Emerald City for almost a week, and they still hadn't met anyone who had seen their friend. A few people claimed to have seen or spoken to or served a girl exactly like Galinda, only with short, dark hair.

She had taken to showing Galinda's picture to almost everyone she passed, and she could tell that Fiyero's patience was wearing thin. She couldn't understand why he wasn't interested in finding his girlfriend. Yet, they had actually grown into being really good friends. Of course they still argued plenty, but they were also capable of having fun together. Elphaba even had to admit that she didn't mind when Fiyero hugged her. He gave good hugs…but so did Galinda. She missed Galinda.

A quiet knock sounded at the door, rousing Elphaba from her reverie. The girl grumbled and staggered out of bed. She peered through the little peep hole in the door and saw Fiyero in his pyjama trousers, his long arms wrapped around himself.

"What's wrong, Yero?" Elphaba asked, opening the door and motioning him inside. The expression on his handsome face was pained and embarrassed.

"Please, don't laugh at me. I just wondered if…" he trailed off, and Elphaba noticed that his hands were balled into fists. A clap of thunder clattered outside, and the Prince jumped, his eyes betraying the fear he felt.

"Are you frightened of the storm?" she queried, fighting back a chuckle. He dropped down onto the edge of her bed and gazed up at her through his long eyelashes, apologetic. Elphaba's stomach flipped a little, and she threw herself down next to him.

"I never saw you as the kind of guy to be scared of the little bit of thunder and lightening," Elphaba joked as they buried themselves under the covers. They lay on their sides, facing on another.

"Hey! We all have our fears, Elphie. I'm sure even the unshakeable Thropp is afraid of _something,_" Fiyero replied shortly, grabbing one of his friend's slim arms and draping it around his own waist like a comfort blanket.

"What, you mean other than the library running out of books?" she grinned, splaying her hand against the small of his back. Fiyero snorted.

"No. Come on. Aren't you scared of **anything**?"

Elphaba considered for a moment. What she really wanted to answer was, _'You. I'm afraid of you.'_. The other answers to the question were only half as daunting to her.

"Ever since I was about…eight? Nine? I've been afraid of water. I can drink it and wash in it, but if there's deep water…I'm terrified," she answered, twining the fingers of her free hand through Fiyero's own as he jumped again, a flash of lightening filling the room.

"Why?" he questioned, shuffling a little closer to her.

"Well…It sort of has something to do with the story that I said I wouldn't tell you 'til we found Galinda."

"That's not fair! You can't just tell me _what _you're scared of then refuse to tell me why!"

"Yes, I can. It demonstrates my power over you," Elphaba giggled. Fiyero sighed and buried his face into her neck, put out that she was refusing to share.

"You are _such _a tease…" he muttered, his lips softly brushing her skin as he spoke. The green girl couldn't help the sigh that escaped her, and she automatically drew him closer.

"You've got a lot of cheek to call _me _a tease," she chided.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he laughed, gently nipping the skin at the underside of her jaw. She squirmed and tried to push him away.

"Stop it!" she laughed as he continued to kiss the long column of her throat, his tongue and teeth occasionally grazing where his lips didn't. Elphaba relaxed against him, allowing the Prince to have his way with her neck. "You're ridiculous," she muttered, ignoring the way her stomach flipped every time his lips made contact.

"I know. I- **ARGH!" **Fiyero buried his face into her shoulder as the storm came right over the hotel, a deep rumble of thunder interrupting his playful explorations.

Elphaba laughed and hugged him as he whimpered, amused at his obviously genuine fear. This trip was certainly turning out to be insightful.

* * *

**Just a little bit of flirting to make up for the lack of smooching in the last chapter. **

**Sorry it sucked so much. **


	13. Tears and Fears

**I'm going to be pretty busy for a while, so I just rattled this off in a couple of hours. I hope it's okay. It's still too soon, but I like the nice little baby step at the end of the chapter. :) Thank you for the reviews. **

* * *

"Why _are _you frightened of the storm, anyway?" Elphaba queried, kissing Fiyero's temple soothingly. He sighed against her collarbone.

"When I was fourteen, I had to do a sort of coming of age challenge at home in the Vinkus."

"Is that anything to do with the tattoos?"

"Yep. If you complete the challenge, you get the tattoos and it's recognised that you're fit to be King. You have to go out into the wilderness by yourself for thirty days, with only a loincloth and a bow and arrow," Fiyero explained.

"A loincloth? HA! Sounds a little medieval to me," Elphaba interjected with a snort. Her companion poked her hard in the ribs.

"Enough with the insults to my culture. You _asked_, remember?" shot Fiyero. He was a staunch patriot, and slights to his traditions and customs always stung his pride.

"Sorry. Go on."

"Thank you. You have to hunt so that you can eat. You have to find shelter, avoid being stampeded to death by wild animals, keep out of the way of the nomadic tribes…They have a habit of kidnapping royal children. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. I think they just- well, anyway. One night, nearly at the end of my thirty days, there was a terrible storm. I was in the middle of the Forest of Kumbricia, near Kumbricia's Pass. The trees there are the tallest in Oz, not to mention they're perched on the top of a huge mountain. The day had been beautiful, but as night fell, the wind picked up and the rain started. In an hour or so, the thunder and lightening began."

Fiyero stopped, and his heart rate picked up at the memory. Elphaba sensed his discomfort and placed calming kiss on the top of his head. The Prince continued in a small, childlike voice.

"The Forest of Kumbricia is infamous for being inhabited with the spirits of the dead. It's said that they come out to walk every night of the year, bemoaning the loss of their lives. I didn't realise where I was; if I had, I would never have gone into the place. Out of nowhere, I thought I saw a figure in the shadow of the trees. I called out, but no-one answered. There was a bolt of lightening, and it set the top of one of the trees on fire. I don't know how it kept going even through the rain, but it did. It lit up the area around where I was, and I saw that I was surrounded by countless people. Their moans and groans were all I could hear above the crackle of the fire and the road of the wind."

"They advanced in on me, and I tried to run away but a burning branch fell right in my path and I couldn't see and I couldn't breath and the fire just kept _burning _and the spirits just kept closing in and I think I collapsed or something…I woke up the next morning. It was still raining, but the fire had gone out and the people were gone. I stuck out the rest of the challenge, but I've been afraid of fire and storms ever since," Fiyero finished, amazed that Elphaba had managed to stay silent for so long.

She realised for the first time that perhaps she wasn't the only one with a traumatic event in her past, even if she was a little sceptical about the idea of the ghosts.

"I understand," she murmured after a moment.

"You do?" The Prince was surprised at her sympathetic tone. He had at least expected her to make fun of his belief in spirits.

"Of course I do, my sweet. I went through an event that deeply affected me as well, so I am completely empathetic to your situation. I'm not even going to mock you for the whole idea of ghosts-"

"_Spirits_,"

"Of 'spirits'. If it's what you believe you saw, then so be it. I'm just sorry that you had to go through something like that," she sighed, as Fiyero shuffled away a little to look her in the eyes.

"You know, I think we're a bit like the elements. Me, you and Galinda, I mean," Fiyero observed quietly, a small smile stealing across his face.

"How so?" chuckled Elphaba in reply.

"Well, you're like the fire. You're fierce and unquenchable and passionate…And you scare the hell out of me. Galinda's like the air; everyone needs her presence to survive,"

"And you're water! Mostly calm on the surface, but are actually surprisingly deep. I like how you think, Fiyero. How come you have the ability to rile me up like no-one else, though? Water is supposed to be able to quench fire." Elphaba tilted her head playfully, and Fiyero laughed.

"I think I could, if we gave it a go…You're probably not as difficult to satisfy as you think. I can be rather persuasive," he winked, and the green girl felt a heat rise to her face at the suggestive connotations of his words.

* * *

"I wonder if we'll ever find Galinda? I'm starting to really worry about her," Elphaba said after a very nervous pause. Even in the darkness, she saw Fiyero's eyebrows knit together.

"I'm not. She's stronger than we think, Elphie," he replied shortly. He was sick of hearing about the girl, as there was only so much longer he could keep his real thoughts about her in his head.

"SO? This is a massive city! She could be standing on street corners just to earn some money! She-"

"Just **stop**! Why aren't you mad at her for what she's done to you?" Fiyero cried, sitting bolt upright and pulling Elphaba with him. She stared at him in confusion as he gripped the top of her arms pleadingly.

"What? What are you-"

"She left you behind without a care for your feelings. She's ignored every single attempt you've made to contact her. She hasn't even sent you a simple _text _to let you know that she's okay. Is that really what you want from a friend, Elphaba? Galinda doesn't deserve your pain and worry!" he said emphatically, his heart breaking when he saw tears rising to Elphaba's eyes.

"You're only saying this because you're angry at her for leaving you behind. You love her too much," she replied, laying her hands desperately on his bare chest. Elphaba, though not one to really cry, couldn't hold back the flood.

"That's where you're wrong. I don't love her, and she doesn't love me. We never _were _in love. Sure, we're perfect together…But there's nowhere to go from perfection. Nowhere to work to. Did you ever hear either one of us say 'I love you'? No, you didn't. We never said it. Don't _look _at me like that! Of course I'm worried about her, she's one of my best friends. But I'm also really angry at her for what she's done to you."

"Why should you care what she's done to me? She's no different from anyone else in my life. _She_ obviously doesn't care, because she left me. Do you _know _how that _feels_? How it feels to have anyone who means anything to you just disappear? My parents disappeared, my little brother and sister disappeared! I just don't know _why_…" Elphaba's little tirade ended with a forlorn sob.

Suddenly, she _was _angry at Galinda for abandoning her like everyone else in her life…and it hurt. It hurt terribly.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have gone off at you like that," Elphaba whimpered, flopping against the pillows with a loud sniff. Fiyero stayed where he was.

"It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm sorry that I told you that I don't love her. I suppose that kind of bursts my bubble of mystery a little, doesn't it?" he replied, crawling over to sit beside her. She dropped her head onto his chest and allowed the tears to flow freely, because she figured she had earned them.

"It's just, the two of you always seemed so _happy_! I would never have guessed," she whispered, tracing his tattoos with the tip of her finger.

"Don't get me wrong, we were happy. We had fun together, even if it was mostly just in bed under the influence of a lot of alcohol. Our relationship wasn't really what you'd call 'deep'. I don't consider myself as having a girlfriend now. When she left, she gave up our relationship as well as her friendship with you."

"I can't believe that she'd be so selfish! I- I just…Why?"

"I don't know, Elphaba. I really don't understand."

* * *

They stayed in this posture for a long time, and Elphaba quickly fell asleep on Fiyero's chest. With all of the drama, storytelling and excitement, they had forgotten that it was the middle of the night. Fiyero noticed her leaning heavily on him, so he carefully laid her down on her back and kissed her forehead.

"Yero…" she mumbled, somehow recognising his presence even in her sleep. The Prince looked down at her wet cheeks, wiping off some of the tears with his thumb. Her skin was soft to touch. The girl mumbled slightly, the tone of her unintelligible words evidently distressed.

"I'm here, Elphaba. It's alright," Fiyero whispered in reply. She continued to mutter in sorrow, and the young man did the only thing that came naturally to calm her. Gently, he ghosted his lips across her own; a gesture so light they barely made contact.

It seemed to work. Elphaba snuffled slightly and her complaints quietened, her sleep peaceful once again. Fiyero lay down next to her, and noted with surprise that the storm had stopped.

Now, with the faint feeling of Elphaba's lips lingering on his own, he was feeling a whole new kind of fear.

* * *

**Uh-oh. **


	14. Flirting

**Yayy! Another update! :D This one's pretty short, but it's got a new favourite OC of mine and the crucial reuniting of our two favourite witches. Can I just say, I'm really flattered that a couple of you nominated me for the Wicked Awards. You're all beautiful people! So this one is for you. **

* * *

"I'll have an caramel cream frappucino, please," Glinda smiled, handing the menu back to the waitress and returning her attention to the sketch pad in front of her. Her left hand automatically continued pencilling in the sympathetic lines of the two figures she was drawing; a man and a woman. She had drawn them leaning against opposite sides of the page like the edges of the paper were walls, their arms crossed in identically defensive postures. They glared sideways at one another, emulating the people they were based on perfectly. The emotion behind their heated gaze was difficult to define.

"Is that love or hate in their eyes?" a voice murmured in her right ear. Glinda jumped and turned to see a mischievous smile attached to the face of a handsome young stranger.

"I- uh…I don't know. I'm wondering that myself," she stuttered, startled by his sudden, unexpected proximity. The young man diverted his eyes back to the paper, releasing her from his powerful gaze.

"Anyone you know?" he queried, apparently oblivious to the lack of introduction.

"It wasn't supposed to be, but it turned into…two people I used to know. An old boyfriend and my best friend."

"He cheat on you with her?"

"No! She…I don't think she's his type. They always argued like cat and dog!"

"Hate is often the outward manifestation of love," the man said quietly, examining athletic, aristocratic Fiyero and fierce, slightly angular Elphaba.

"You know, it's usually polite to introduce yourself to a girl before plonking down at her table and picking her artwork to pieces!" Glinda stated dryly, turning to him with as much intimidating authority as she could muster.

The young man looked apologetic and swished his blonde hair out of his eyes. "Sorry. I'm Meir. Meir Pomaaski. I'm from Dixxie House in the Gillikin."

"Glinda. Nice to meet you."

"So, how long have you been in this fine city of ours?" Meir asked a little while later, taking a sip of his black coffee. He grimaced slightly at the bitter taste; he never could comprehend why he always ordered something he loathed.

"Nearly two weeks," Glinda replied politely, ignoring the urge to flirt like crazy like she would have at Shiz. Meir grinned at her over the top of his cup.

"And what are you running away from?" he asked cheerfully, smiling as the young woman paled.

"I'm not running away from anything!" she cried indignantly, pursing her plump lips impatiently.

"Uh-huh. Of course you're not. Which is _exactly _why you gave me a no surname and didn't tell me where you're from? I don't believe you, Miss Glinda." The expression in Meir's eyes was playful, and Glinda found herself melting into a little puddle on the floor.

"Not that I'm _running_ away from anything, but I left to try a new life. I was tired of the person I was pretending to be, the social expectations, the dull work…The depressing people."

"Does that include those two?" He indicated the paper, curiosity alive in his tone.

"I'm not sure yet. I think Fiyero was a bit like me, putting on an act to please everyone around us. Elphie's always on the defensive because of the way she looks."

"She looks perfectly normal to me," Meir stated, squinting at the picture for any trace of abnormality.

"She's green." Glinda stated dryly, watching her companion's eyes widen.

"Green?"

"Green."

"**Green**?"

"Green as sin. It's actually a very pretty colour; sort of the colour of emeralds. People find it difficult to look past her skin tone to see the smart, caring person underneath," the former blonde explained, her lasting affection for her best friend clear in her voice.

"Is that even possible?"

"To not be a narrow minded idiot? Yes!"

"No, not that. I mean green skin. How did she end up that way?"

"She doesn't know. She was born that way."

"You were mean to her when you first met, weren't you?"

"How did you-"

"You're easy to read, Glinda." Meir laughed and touched her hand across the table. She shivered and allowed a bashful smile to decorate her pretty face.

During the silence that followed, Glinda studied the young man opposite her. Meir was perhaps two or three years older than her, with bright blue eyes and blonde curly hair. His jaw was covered in a little stubble, and his features were a little less rugged than Fiyero's. He was dressed casually in a pair of tatty jeans and a red t-shirt. She liked him.

"Can I see you again?" Meir smiled hopefully, draining the contents of his cup and standing up. He was about heights with Glinda, which made her happy.

"If you can find me," she replied teasingly, looking up at him through her thick eyelashes.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll come across one another at some point. Bye, Glinda," he grinned, bending down and brushing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"Um…bye!" she called after his retreating back. Meir waved over his shoulder with a cheeky smile as he disappeared out of the door. Glinda laughed in disbelief, returning to her drawing with a bemused grin on her face.

* * *

"Elphaba, we've been walking for three hours! _Please_, can't we just stop and have lunch?" Fiyero whined, grabbing the green girl's small hand to tug her to a stop. She wheeled around with a cry of surprise.

"Why? I want to find Galinda!" Elphaba retorted impatiently.

"You can still find her if we take a half hour out to _eat_. Why do you still care anyway? You were ready to murder her last night," the Prince sighed, remembering the discreet kiss that his companion didn't even know she had experienced.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm still ready to murder her. That doesn't mean I want someone else to get first, though. Just humour me, will you?"

"I'll humour you if you just let me _eat_!" Fiyero whined, pouting imploringly down at her with wide eyes. Elphaba avoided his gaze for a few moments, struggling not to be won over by the butterflies in her stomach or the way he kept a tight hold on her hand.

"Fine! You win!" she cried, and was promptly pulled into the little café they had conveniently stopped next to.

Glinda glanced up from her sketchpad when a familiar colour caught her eye. She barely took in the bright emerald before looking away again, then doing a double take. Elphaba and Fiyero strolled into the café, bickering as usual. The Prince laughed and tossed an arm around his tiny companion, muttering something that made her blush a light pinkish-green and look away, embarrassed.

The young woman wanted to dash out of the shop, but her old friends were blocking the exit. She stiffened when Elphaba's eyes passed over her, but it was evident that her friend didn't recognise her with her new hairstyle. Fiyero's eyes then followed the path that Elphaba's had taken, and they widened when they landed on her. They stared at one another for a moment, shocked. He said something to Elphaba and she nodded, waving him off and stepping up to the counter, turning her back on Glinda's table. Fiyero approached her and leaned on the back of the chair Meir had been sitting in. His face was livid.

"Fiyero! How lovely to see you!" Glinda smiled falsely. Her voice betrayed her lack of enthusiasm; she had hoped to leave him behind. He felt as little for her as she did for him, and they both knew it.

"Galinda! How _dare _you just up and leave like that, with no word to anyone! How could you do that to Elphaba? She's been in pieces since you-"

"My name is _Glinda _now. The 'Ga' is silent."

"Oh, stop playing games. If you weren't happy with your life, you could have _said_! You could have broken up with me if you really wanted to! I wouldn't have minded."

"Gee, thanks, _Fifi_."

"Do you realise how much you've hurt Elphaba? She actually _cried _because she was so worried about you! She hasn't been sleeping well, she talks and tosses and turns-"

"And you would know that how?" Glinda smirked. Fiyero fell silent for a moment, a bright blush spreading to his face. His ex-girlfriend sniggered, and opened her mouth to make a smart comment.

"You'd better hope she doesn't see you, because we were talking last night and she is _really _pissed at you," Fiyero cut her off scathingly, spitting out the words violently.

Elphaba approached Fiyero and laid a hand on his lower back, alerting him to her presence. Her heart had dropped when he had seen him chatting to the pretty girl, but when she caught full sight of her face, her heart leapt again.

"Galinda?"

"Hello, Elphie."

* * *

**Oh, hiya. **


	15. Anger and Realisation

**Sorry I took so long to update! Life is a little hectic just now...And I haven't even started production! Anyone learning the Estill Technique will agree it requires a lot of time and effort...I think I need to put more in. -Sigh-**

**Thank you for all of the reviews! :D (Italics are Glinda's point of view, although you'll notice this when you read it.)**

**Who knows when I'll update again, so enjoy the novelty of a new chapter. **

* * *

It was not in Elphaba Thropp's nature to show any great emotion. She wasn't given to huge displays of delight or affection, which is why no-one was shocked with the first thing he said to Glinda.

"What in the name of _Lurline _have you done to your hair, you stupid girl?" she cried, shoving Fiyero out of her way and bracing herself on the back of the chair he had been leaning on, staring at Glinda with a disapproving glare. Fiyero chuckled at her fierce expression, but the other girl simply regarded her coolly in return.

"I felt it was time for a change," replied the former blonde, pursing her lips in annoyance. Elphaba realised straight away that her demeanour was more severe than it had been just a fortnight before, her voice less bright, her words more cutting than she had ever heard Glinda say.

"She says her name is _Glinda, _too," Fiyero interjected quietly, bending down to whisper this fact in Elphaba's ear. She turned to him with a raised eyebrow, and the Prince just shrugged in confusion.

"Why did you come here?" Glinda asked quietly, calmly sipping at the dregs of her drink. Elphaba rolled her eyes and flopped down into the chair.

"Because I was worried about you, you dope! Can't you understand that?"

"You encouraged me to go!"

"Yeah, but after you finished college! I wanted us all to come to the city together, and stay friends and try to build some kind of a life together! The three of us!" Elphaba's leaned across the table and gripped Glinda's hand imploringly. "Please, Glin. Come home. Have the summer with me and Fiyero. Finish Shiz, then we'll all come back here and have the time of our lives!" she whispered intensely, desperation alive in her eyes.

Glinda looked between the green girl and the Prince, conflict raging inside her head. The former looked anguished, the latter was staring down at the green girl, his large hand rubbing her shoulder soothingly. It was clear he wasn't even faintly interested in Glinda.

Elphaba, on the other hand, clearly was. She gazed at her friend with frightening intensity, her expression a perplexing fusion of love, hate, desperation and detachedness.

"I'm not coming back to Shiz," Glinda muttered. "I hate the person I am there. I hate how stupid people think I am. At least here people take me seriously! Don't _look _at me like that, Elphie. Why don't you just stay here? I've seen you twice in the city now, and neither time has **anyone **pointed or laughed at you. And, well, it seems wherever you go, he's going to go, so…Fiyero, you can stay as well!" She grinned, and a glimmer of her former energy sparked in her eyes.

"You've seen us twice? When? Why didn't you say something?" Fiyero snapped, turning his irritated glower on her. She flapped her hands at him.

"Last week. It was in that pretty little hotel in Treefa Gardens. I'd been staying there since I got to the city. Well, it was my second one, since the first place I stayed in was really crummy and I only stayed there one night, then moved to that one, and-"

"And you didn't say anything?" Fiyero repeated stonily, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Elphaba. He leaned in front of her slightly. The protective gesture did not go unnoticed by Glinda.

* * *

_I really hurt her, didn't I? He doesn't want me to do it again. He really cares about her now…it's __**weird**__! She should be biting his head off for sitting so close to her, Oz knows she would have done it before. What's changed? I wonder if she's told him about her parents and them leaving her. Maybe that's why he's being so protective? _

_Ha. I can see in her eyes that she's at least a teeny tiny little bit annoyed at him taking control like this, but for once she's managing to bite her tongue! Wow. _

_I just don't get it, though! The whole time he was going out with me, did he totally love her? That's so crazified. _

_Sweet Oz. _

_I just said totally. And __**crazified**__._

_THIS IS WHY I LEFT SHIZ!_

* * *

"Elphie was wearing a cute outfit and high heels, and you gave her this pretty black shawl thing with red flowers on it. I didn't want you to see me, because I knew you'd go mental at me for going away without telling you. Where _did_ you get that outfit anyway?" Glinda queried, peering around Fiyero to smile at her friend. Elphaba looked confused at being addressed.

"Fiyero got us both new outfits from a shop just inside the city. Most of our clothes were dirty, and the little motels didn't have any place to wash them, so…" she shrugged, casting her eyes over her usual clothes with faint distaste. She was still wearing the heeled boots; she rather liked those.

"This is beside the _point_!" Fiyero spat, balling his hands into fists. "Don't you know how much you hurt Elphaba? Don't you _care_?" he cried, struggling to keep his temper at bay. Glinda sniffed haughtily. When she replied, her voice was full of venom.

"Do you know how many times _you _hurt her? Whenever you called her names or stole her shoes or threatened to hang her underwear all over campus if she didn't do your homework, she'd always come back with some kind of biting answer, but then, when she thought I didn't see, she'd wipe a tear out of her eye. That time you broke her laptop, she was really **scared **of you. I could see it when I came into the room! What's changed?"

"She's my friend! I never meant to hurt her so much, and I'd never do it again."

"I didn't mean to hurt her either! She means more to me than you _ever _did!"

"Oh, so _now _the truth comes out! What happened to all that 'Fifi' crap?"

"I was being who they wanted me to be!"

"I…"

* * *

Elphaba strode out of the café with her head held high. Her departure went completely unnoticed by the two former lovers, as they continued to shout at one another. People at tables close by were beginning to stare, so the green girl simply left them to it. It wasn't as though they were interested in her opinion anyway; it had been as though she wasn't even there.

Her anger had been so great that she couldn't even force words out of her mouth. How _dare _they talk about her like she was a child, like she couldn't speak for herself? When had they begun to think about her in that way? She was easily the fiercest of the three of them, and she certainly was never afraid to state her opinion about someone.

Only, the way they had utterly _ignored _her…

She veered left down a small street, striding quickly until she could find a way to vent her fury. Tall warehouses rose on either side, and it was mostly deserted. Her feet hurt in her boots, and she began to wonder when she had become feminine enough to forget the implications of high heels and walking for long periods. With a loud groan, she sank to the ground and leaned against a wall, stretching her legs out in front of her.

The mid-afternoon sun was high and it cast an almost unbearable heat over the Emerald City. It was tempered by a cool, Western breeze. Elphaba smiled as it caressed her face gently, examining the small leaflet it blew onto her lap. It was black, with neon pink writing in an obnoxious curled font. It read:

"_The Oscar Diggs Gentleman's Club is proud to present_

'_**Glinda-Daisy Noble**__'_

_as the newest dancer at our fine establishment! Miss Noble performs four nights a week._

_Come along and see your fantasies come alive!"_

Underneath was a picture of a tall, statuesque girl in a glittering purple dress. She smiled seductively at the camera, but a white hat covered half of her face. There was no mistaking that it was the very same Glinda that Elphaba had roomed with for two years. Her stomach heaved a little, and her anger at the girl only intensified.

"Did you really abandon us for _this_, my pretty?" she muttered out loud, crumpling the leaflet up and tossing it away in disgust.

* * *

"Why is it I always find you annoyed in alleyways?" Fiyero joked gently as he strolled down the street towards her, Glinda in tow. Elphaba glared at them both and struggled to her feet. She tottered slightly on her high heels, so the Prince reached out a hand to steady her.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to either of you," Elphaba spat, shrugging him off and stomping in the opposite direction.

"Look, I'm sorry that we ignored you back there. It was out of order," the young man tried, catching up to her easily and gripping her hand. He leaned down and tried to kiss her cheek apologetically. Stubbornly, she kept her face away from him…although that may have had something to do with hiding her blush.

"Fiyero's right, Elphie. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I should never have-"

"I'll say you shouldn't have! You run away and then get a job as a _stripper_?" Elphaba screamed in frustration, whipping her head around so fast she whacked Fiyero rather painfully with her thick pleat. The poor boy looked utterly confused, and Glinda looked taken aback.

"How did you-"

"It doesn't matter how I know. The point is, you did it. I don't want to talk to you right now, Glin. I've done what I came to do, and I'm happy that you're safe, but I'm going back to my hotel to pack. Fiyero, you may as well stay. You two always were perfect together," she sighed, shaking out of his grip and carrying on down the street.

Glinda watched her go, remorseful at how much she had distressed her friend. The small girl powered down the street like there was no tomorrow, and the former blonde could understand her feelings. If everyone in her life had abandoned _her_, she'd feel completely betrayed, hurt and angry too.

However, it seemed that there was one person who was _not _going to abandon Elphaba. Glinda saw Fiyero charge after his new friend, and she smiled despite herself. They really _could _be quite cute together.

* * *

**Oho. Really? **


	16. Elphaba's Story

**Ohh! We're getting there! It's ALMOST TIME! -squee-**

**Just a chapter or two and we're there, by my estimations. Cheers for the reviews. **

* * *

"Please don't try and hug me. I'm too pissed off with you," Elphaba sighed, pushing Fiyero away from her roughly. The young man looked dejected as he stepped out of her way. She didn't look at him, already aware of the sorrowful expression that would be in his eyes.

"I said I was sorry!" he muttered in reply, crossing his arms and turning to stare out of the window. Elphaba rolled her eyes and continued to stuff her clothes unceremoniously into her suitcase.

"I know you did, but that doesn't make up for ignoring me and talking for me like I'm some sort of child. I'm perfectly capable of telling Galinda- sorry, _Glinda,_ exactly what I think of her. Your input wasn't required," she snapped, crumpling up the Vinkun shawl and cramming down the side. Upon seeing this action, Fiyero's expression became scandalised.

"Oh, come on!" he cried, crossing to her and nudging her out of the way with his hip. He pulled the shawl back out and folded it neatly before continuing. "Don't you ever get tired of fighting with people? I thought you'd appreciate me taking the pressure off you, that's all. Forgive me for trying to stick up for my _friend_!" he said stiffly, exaggerating the last word to show Elphaba what he thought of her.

* * *

Well, though he was reluctant to admit it to himself, he actually thought of her as a little bit more than a friend. He was actually rather fond of her, and felt remarkably proud that she allowed him to see another side of her that the people at Shiz never got to experience. He also felt privileged that she didn't flinch away from his touch anymore.

Fiyero was frustrated with himself for managing to screw up the first relationship in his life that actually involved someone accepting him for the person he really was. Elphaba was surprising in that sense: she had hated him for a long time, then as soon as he had become comfortable as himself around her, she had accepted him without question. She herself could now relax in his presence and drop the harsh persona she had developed for public perusal.

Even her face seemed softened when it was just the two of them alone. She was by no means the most beautiful woman in the world, but nonetheless, her features were prettily formed. It was as though someone had designed her to be beautiful, then worked a little too much on her nose and chin, making her just a fraction _too_ sharp. But that didn't matter to him. He thought she was stunning regardless.

* * *

Elphaba glared at him with a mixture of amusement and irritation. It wasn't unusual for him to zone out like this, but it still irked her.

"Are you in there, your Highness?" she called, waving her thin hand in his face. Fiyero started out of his reverie and smiled down at her.

"If I remember correctly, there is something you promised to tell me once we'd found Glinda," he prompted, cocking an eyebrow and grinning. Elphaba wrinkled her nose.

"No. I…no."

"You can't pull out! You promised!"

"Well, I don't think I want you to know. I've only ever told one person, and…well. I don't know when I'll stop being mad at her."

"She has nothing to do with us_, _Elphaba," Fiyero sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close. She groaned in annoyance and sank against him, locking her arms around his waist in an expression of defeat.

"There's really no '_us_' to consider," she mumbled into his chest, savouring the thrilling feeling of her heart hammering in her chest. Now, with Glinda safely out of the way, she could enjoy the sensation without too much guilt.

"There could be, if you wanted-" Fiyero began coaxingly, tilting her head up to face him, but was cut off by Elphaba shaking her head violently.

"Please…don't. I'll tell you the story, but please don't make me consider this. Not now. Not ever." She was startled at the sudden turn of the conversation, and it made her uncomfortable. Elphaba was also frightened about the fact she actually _wanted _to be with him in the way he had implied…but not yet.

"Sorry," he murmured, holding her more tightly. She didn't try to break away from him, instead choosing to just look up at him in an attempt to decipher if he was as crestfallen as he appeared.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled thinly, pressing her fingers into his back as she hugged him forcefully. He chuckled sadly and released her.

"Alright," he grinned, moving her suitcase and tossing himself onto her bed. "Tell me your story."

"Where do you want me to start?" Elphaba smiled wryly, sitting down and choosing to study the veins on the back of Fiyero's hand rather than look him in the face.

"What were your parent's names?" he asked carefully, unsure of which questions to ask. The green girl sighed and tapped her finger in time with his pulse. It was quite fast, but she didn't notice.

"They were Frexspar and Melena Thropp. Mother was Eminence of Munchkinland, and Father was a Unionist Minister. The cause _quite _the scandal in society with their marriage," she explained, flipping his hand over and tracing the lines of his palm with the tip of her index finger.

"The Eminent Thropp? You're in line for the _throne _of Munchkinland?" cried the Prince in disbelief, his eyebrows flying up almost to his hairline.

Elphaba snorted. "I'm not sure if _throne _is quite the correct word for it, my sweet. I don't even know if I'm still eligible to ascend to ruling. I'm not even certain that I'd ever _want _to, anyway."

"We can talk about this bit in a while. Tell me more about your family," Fiyero commanded, curling a strand of her hair around his finger. She huffed but continued.

"When I was born, my colouring was a bit of a shock to them both. Mother was distraught, and fell to drinking as much as she could lay her hands on to dull the pain of my 'deformity', as it were. Father was quicker to accept me, seeing my pigmentation as a punishment for his own faults. He was good to me when I was really young…but I think he actually felt _sorry _for me!" Her tone was bitter, and she spat out the words as though they made her feel ill.

"You've mentioned siblings in the past," Fiyero pushed relentlessly. He wanted to know, and knew that she'd wimp out if he let her get too caught up in her feelings.

"Yes. Nessa," whispered Elphaba, a new sadness crossing her face. "Perfect little Nessarose. Everyone doted on her. Through Mother's excessive drinking throughout her pregnancy, Nessa was born too soon and she was wheelchair bound for the whole of her life. That sent Mama even further into her spiral of despair. Papa just focused his attention on Nessa as much as he could."

"Then Shell came along. My little brother. Whole, white and male. Mama died giving birth to him, so she never lived to see her dream of having a son come true. We missed her, and Papa lost it a little. I was all but relegated to the very edges of the family…he didn't have _time _for the lizard girl anymore."

"As far as he was concerned I was an embarrassment to our good name. The few times we had company over he'd lock me up in my room and turn the light off so no-one knew I was even there."

"One night, when I was nine, he dragged me out of bed in a rage. He said that I'd been in his room and had been pilfering Mama's things. I hadn't, of course. He had been preaching in different towns for weeks, but nowhere had proved successful and he felt useless. What better way to take out his frustrations than on me? I told him that I didn't, but he refused to believe me."

"He _screamed _at me about how I was an unholy monster, and that I was going to go to hell for stealing and making so many people's lives a misery. He picked me up and carried me out of the house and into the car. We drove for _miles_…We reached a lake. He told me that he was going to get rid of me once and for all. Apparently it would be better for me, for him, for everyone. He said it would be over soon, and that the Unnamed God would forgive me my sins if I didn't struggle."

Elphaba shuddered and choked a little on the words, her hands beginning to shake with anger and terror at the mere memory. Fiyero grasped them within his own and pressed his lips to her forehead. He stroked her hair gently, wishing he hadn't asked her to relive such a painful time. The girl continued, her voice quiet and trembling.

"The next thing I knew I was in the water. It was deep and it was the middle of Winter, so it was freezing…I panicked and thrashed around, trying to get my head above the water long enough to scream at him to stop, to help me. He didn't. Every time I surfaced I could see him just _standing _looking at me, totally calm. Eventually, I passed out. I don't know whether from fright or whatever, but I did."

"I woke up a few days later in Central Munchian Hospital. They said I was severely hypothermic and I was lucky to be alive. They knew who I was, and asked me how in the name of Oz I'd managed to fall into a lake! So far from home, too. They _then _proceeded to inform me that they were '_very _sorry, but my father and siblings were nowhere to be found, and that I was to go and live with my Aunt Eissa'. He had just taken them! He realised what he'd done, and run away like the crazed old coward he was."

Here, the green girl stopped and slid away from Fiyero's embrace. She covered her face with her hands and breathed deeply, obviously trying to hold back some kind of strong emotion.

"Elphaba?" Fiyero murmured, reaching across and laying a hand on her shoulder. She shuddered violently as she turned to him, her brown eyes completely unguarded for the first time.

"I don't want you to think badly of him for what he did, Yero!" she added shrilly, her tone verging on hysterical. "He was a good father to us all before Mama died. That broke him. They were both excellent people…they were just broken. Life broke them. _I _broke them. If it wasn't for me…" she tailed off, gesturing to her unusual hue with resentment.

Fiyero shook his head and clasped her face between his hands. Elphaba looked him straight in the eyes, and found that they were alive with feeling; so complex that even her sharp mind couldn't even begin to decipher it.

"I never, _ever _want to hear to speak about yourself that way again, do you hear me? This was not your fault, Elphaba!" he cried, smoothing his thumbs along her elegant cheekbones.

"But it _is_! And now look, Glinda went and left me too! There's only a matter of time before you bugger off and leave me as well. And _then _where will I be?" she queried quietly, placing her hands over his where they were stationed on her face.

"I'm not going to leave you. Why can't you understand that?"

"But you hate me!"

"I don't!"

"You used to."

"You used to hate me too, if my memory serves me right. Stop thinking that everyone is going to abandon you. I love you too much to let you go now," he whispered. The words were out before he could stop them, and Elphaba's eyes widened. "As a friend, I mean. You're turning out to be the best friend I've ever had." His mistake was amended quickly, and her posture relaxed again.

"I just…I need assurance. Something that will make me believe that you're really not going to leave me," Elphaba sighed at his perplexed look. "This is why I'm never friends with anyone. They think I'm a total freak."

"I don't think you're a freak!" Fiyero retorted hastily. "I just don't know what I can do to make you believe that I…that you're my best friend. We could become blood brothers, I suppose," he joked, relieved when his companion cracked a smile.

"That could work. It shows the right kind of devotion I'm looking for," she replied grimly, her sarcastic tone displaying her true feelings on the matter.

What Elphaba _really _wanted was for Fiyero to make her his in every way possible. At least then, she could feel loved and accepted for the first time in about thirteen years. She wanted him to make her feel like a human being, like a _woman_, but she knew that she couldn't ask that of him. The mere thought of being with her in that way would turn his stomach, she knew.

Little did the young woman know that Fiyero wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. As he cradled her in his arms, he barely resisted the temptation to kiss her fiercely and commit himself to her entirely. He knew that she wouldn't want that _much _by way of assurance of friendship, so he kept the suggestion to himself.

The accidental words that had slipped unbidden from his mouth were, he grudgingly admitted to himself, very, very true.

He loved her, much against his natural instinct and superior judgement.

He loved her.

Now he just had to figure out what to do about it.

* * *

**Heh. Yeah. **

**Eissa? Aye. One and the same. You know you love it. **


	17. He Had To Go And Kiss Her

**There are no explosions or deaths or car chases in this chapter...But I love it anyway. It's just pure, unabashed fluff. **

**Fi-na-lly. **

* * *

Elphaba regarded Fiyero through burning eyes. Tears continued to threaten, hovering precariously on the edges of her vision. Dredging up those memories had been emotional, and it had taken its toll on her. The man next to her watched her sympathetically, his quiet breathing the only sound inside the room. Outside, the roar of early evening traffic could be heard from the street below. The sun was just beginning to set, and the jewel encrusted towers of the Emerald Palace gleamed, casting a verdant sparkle all over the city.

"Now I know why they call it the Emerald City," Elphaba whispered with a half smile, crossing to the window and gazing out. Her feet were planted widely apart, and she surveyed the place with an air of power that Fiyero found rather intimidating.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" he replied, stepping up behind her. Gently, he slid his arms around her waist, delighted at the way she automatically melted into him, her spine flattening against his torso.

"Quite…" she murmured in acquiesce, striving to commit the rhythm of his heartbeat against her back to her memory. It was a nice, steady rhythm. Comforting. Her chest constricted as Fiyero's hands- deliciously large, in her opinion- flattened against her stomach.

Elphaba ignored the part of her that screamed to push him off: this wasn't the time. Tentatively, she slid her palms up his forearms, and where his hands rested on her abdomen, she slotted her fingers through his. Fiyero's breathing remained leisurely as he laid his chin on the top of her head, now holding her slim hands in his own.

They didn't speak. Instead, the young pair chose to simply survey the city before them and contemplate the events of the past few weeks. It surprised them both how quickly things could change. Was it possible that they had never hated one another? Had they always felt this thrill when together, but interpreted it as loathing rather than…what? Love? They didn't know. There was still a tangible tension between them, only now it was enjoyable.

"I'm sorry for making you tell me all of that stuff," murmured Fiyero, bending his head to brush an apologetic kiss to Elphaba's head. The young woman sighed, shrugging.

"I feel better now. I'm resilient, so it doesn't affect me for too long. I always bounce back. I'm just happy that you know now. Maybe you'll stop being so damned _annoying _once in a while!" she sniggered mischievously, digging her sharp elbow into his ribs playfully. Fiyero laughed and turned her around in his arms so that she was pressed against his chest, staring up at him with wide eyed inexperience.

"I'll never stop being annoying. You know you love it, Thropp! Will you ever tell me about Eissa?"

"Oh, probably," Elphaba sighed impatiently and smiled up at him. "Not just now though. Why don't we go out?" she suggested hopefully, an atypical glint appearing in her brown eyes. Fiyero cocked an eyebrow and grinned back at her.

"What? Now?" he laughed, surprised that _Elphaba _was suggesting something social. She nodded vigorously.

"Yes! I've had enough of being _serious_! I just want to go out and have a little drink and a little dance. I don't want to be 'Elphaba Thropp, Tragic Case of Green Freakiness' tonight. I just want to be…I don't know. There's just something about you that makes me want to let my hair down. I don't feel so inhibited right now," she admitted, a pale greenish-pink blush rising to her cheeks.

"Feel free to let your hair down all the time when I'm here, sweetheart. I think your hair is beautiful," Fiyero flirted, fingering the strands of black silk that had escaped from the usual braid. Elphaba closed her eyes slightly as the Prince reached around behind her and pulled the band out of her hair, combing his fingers through it and relishing the soft feeling against his skin. It unwound thick and shiny, cascading to her waist in gentle waves.

"It has little bits of purple in it…" he noted softly, raking his fingertips from the delicate baby hairs at her temples to the curling ends. The green girl let her eyes flutter completely closed this time and allowed her head to roll back a little.

Fiyero gulped as she exposed her long throat to him, a temptation that he couldn't manage to resist. Gently, he brushed his lips against the underside of her upturned jaw. Elphaba's hands pressed against his chest as he continued to tease at her neck, tempting her to the point of infuriation. The young man continued on, his lips gliding over the skin in front of him, surprised at the lack of protest. Eventually, he let his teeth graze the muscles at the side of her neck, and a low groan escaped Elphaba's lips.

She pulled away slightly and half opened her eyes, her expression faraway and distant. Her breathing was a little shallower than usual as she regarded him blearily.

"Do you know what you do to me?" muttered the young woman, her voice trembling a little as she struggled to regain her composure. Fiyero's heart began to pound, and he searched through his mind for a good response.

"Um…" he mumbled, beginning to close the gap that she had created between them.

"You're impossible. Incorrigible, persistent, annoying…maddening," Elphaba continued breathily, tilting her face up towards his. The shimmer in her eyes belied the tone of her words.

A sense of exhilarating anticipation took hold of them both, as the they had been waiting for finally approached. As nervous as she was, Elphaba found that she couldn't look away from Fiyero's candid eyes, and the expectancy displayed within them.

"That was why I…your eyes…" she said, more to herself than to anyone. The Prince wasn't listening anyway. He kept his hands on either side of Elphaba's face as he bent his head, lowering himself closer to her. Inch by inch, he crept nearer, trying to determine the reaction he would get. Almost certainly, he decided, she would respond well.

So, he kissed her. His lips made the first contact, brushing hers so lightly it could barely be felt. It was sweet and innocent, and was probably the most honest kiss Fiyero had ever had in his life. Elphaba's movements were cautious as she kissed him back, entirely unsure of herself. The young man smiled fondly at her endearing insecurity. It was nice to know that though she was knowledgeable in many areas, she was a far cry from knowing _everything_.

After several moments of tender caresses, Elphaba broke away and looked up at Fiyero with a timid smile on her face.

"Uh…so, yeah. A drink and a dance. Feel like it?" she continued, the nonchalance she adopted completely transparent. Fiyero rolled his eyes and nodded, leaning in to capture her in another affectionate kiss. She accepted him for a moment before completely backing away, her face flushed with awkwardness.

"You don't need to feel embarrassed, Elphaba," Fiyero smiled gently, choosing to refrain from moving towards her. The young woman looked at her boots, biting her lip. She knew that telling him the _real _reason why she was embarrassed would make him uncomfortable, so allowing him to believe what he already did was the easier option. Although, when did she ever go for the easier option?

"I'm probably not embarrassed about what you think I am," she muttered nervously, keeping her gaze averted. Fiyero took a step towards her, which elicited a side step out of his way. He looked hurt.

"What is it?" he cried desperately. "Did I do something wrong? Shouldn't I have kissed you? I thought you wanted me to! And you kissed me back, so technically you-"

"No! I did want you to kiss me. Hell, I enjoyed it! It's just…I think I might have enjoyed it a little _too much_," admitted Elphaba, looking at him with a pained expression. A flicker of semi-comprehension crossed Fiyero's face.

"I'm not sure I completely understand," he said slowly, passing a hand over his face in partial confusion. Elphaba looked like she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

"I'm embarrassed because I sort of…I wanted…I wanted you to keep going."

"So? There's nothing wrong with that."

"I mean I wanted _more_. Yet at the same time, I was nervous about what would happen if we kept going and you **gave** me more. I don't know if I…if _you_…" she trailed off, turning and resting her forehead against the wall with a mortified groan.

A jolt of excitement rippled through Fiyero's body as he grasped what she meant. A hesitant smile crept to his lips as he eased towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's the same feeling that I've had for you since I met you, only it's one million times stronger when you're kissing me. I feel like…like I can't control myself! You just make me want to…I don't know. Forget it." She groaned again.

"I make you want to rip my clothes off and have your wicked way with me?" he teased good naturedly, leaning closer to nudge her earlobe with his nose. Elphaba quivered slightly as she felt his strong body press into her side, and permitted her eyes to travel to his. He loomed over her, magnificently tall and resplendent. Blood throbbed in her ears as she stood on her tiptoes to catch his lips, willing herself to appear braver than she felt.

This kiss was _not _sweet.

Elphaba immediately felt heat rising in her limbs as she kissed him hungrily. She pressed hard against him and held fistfuls of his shirt, deepening the kiss automatically. Her lips parted of their own accord, and his followed willingly. Their tongues teased one another, and it looked as though things were going to get out of control. The young man was surprised, but willingly caught her when she wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped, looping her legs tightly around his waist. Although light, her sudden weight made him stumble sideways and trip straight over her long forgotten suitcase. They twisted to the floor with identically strangled cries.

"What the hell?" Elphaba exclaimed, bemused at finding herself on the floor with Fiyero on top of her. The Prince began to chuckle, dropping his head to her shoulder. It began as a giggle, before commencing a gradual crescendo into a booming tenor laugh.

"Sorry! I shouldn't laugh, but the look on your face…" he chortled, allowing Elphaba to smooth a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"I guess I did get a little carried away," she muttered, closing her eyes in mortification. She shifted slightly under his weight, deciding that she was rather enjoying the position.

"I'm not complaining," sniggered the young man, weaving his fingers through hers and raising her hands above her head. He went in to kiss her, then frowned.

"The moment's gone?" she guessed sadly, the driving passion that had clouded her mind moments before no longer there. Fiyero nodded grimly and clambered to his feet.

"Come on. Get changed and we'll go out for that drink," he grinned, strolling from the room with a cheeky wink. Elphaba sighed and leaned her cheek upon her hand. She watched his lean figure swagger from the room, and found her heart beginning to pound.

Where did they stand now?

Just when she thought her life couldn't get any more messed up...

He had to go and kiss her.

* * *

**Technically, still not together. Imma try get the next chapter better. Oh! Thank you for all of the reviews for the last few chapters. Much appreciated. **


	18. Running

**Hello. I would like to warn you right now: this chapter is really, really bad. It sucks. I wrote most of it at 2am (no exagerration), and then I hated it but had no idea how to change it. So, I do apologise. I'll try to update faster this time, with a better quality chapter. I'm sorry! I feel like such a failure! Thank you for all of the reviews! They make me so incredibly happy. **

**Oh, and I've decided that my Fiyero looks like either Chace Crawford or Axle Whitehead. Yeah, no idea. :) **

* * *

Glinda sat in her dressing room, chewing her fingernails to shreds. This was an activity she abhorred, but her clash with Elphaba earlier in the day had set her on edge. She knew the hotel her friend was staying in, so should she go along and try to make peace with her? It was unlikely that the girl would even still be there. She was so headstrong that she would have upped and left already. Fiyero would have gone with her.

The five minute call rang through the door and the young woman jumped, before letting her head drop hopelessly to the dressing table. She had never been very good with confrontation. What would Elphie say if she _was _still here? Would she hear Glinda out? It was possible. She would be a hypocrite not to listen. Fiyero may not be so quick to forgive, but the former blonde was entirely indifferent to his opinion. Any small shred of attachment she had felt for him at Shiz had all but disappeared. He was Elphie's now, whether they knew it or not.

She slipped her feet one at a time into the silver stilettos she wore to perform and her calf muscles immediately tightened as she stood up, smoothing out her dress. Glinda smiled into the mirror, allowing a self satisfied nod as she took in her admittedly stunning reflection.

With a smile, she swept from the room. Elphie could wait for now.

* * *

"You know, I never thought I'd see _you _dance the whole night away in a club!" Fiyero laughed as they stumbled out of the front door into the mild night outside. The nightclub they had ended up in was called 'The Broom and the Bubble', and was located right on the bank of the river that passed straight through the Emerald City. The magnificent palace could be seen, glorious and grand, on the other side.

"I didn't think I'd ever have so much fun doing it either!" Elphaba replied loudly, a hiccup and a giggle escaping her lips as she teetered over to the railing at the waters edge. Fiyero joined her in leaning on the bar, allowing the cool breeze to bring some modicum of sober thought back into his slightly intoxicated brain.

"Yeah…was cool," he muttered cheerfully, pausing to take in the urban beauty of his surroundings. Next to him, Elphaba was struggling with her boots.

"My feet hurt from all that dancing…I've never danced so much in my life!" she explained crabbily, undoing the knee high laces and kicking them from her sore feet. She shrunk a good four inches, leaving her a blatant Munchkinlander once more. "I'm not all that good, so that's probably why…_You_, on the other hand," she continued, "are a bloody good dancer! Your rhythm is fantastic." Elphaba cringed a little at that sentence. She hadn't drunk so much as to not notice when she said something embarrassing…And this was one of those times. Luckily, it seemed Fiyero hadn't noticed.

It also seemed like neither of them had consumed enough alcohol to shut up their nagging insecurities. Every single dance they had had together, they had wondered whether they were dancing too close to be friends or too far away to be lovers. The episodes of the evening had left them both completely confused, and they didn't know what to do about it. Fiyero knew that he was completely in love with Elphaba, even if he'd really rather not be. Elphaba had a sneaking suspicion that she might be a little _tiny_ bit in love with Fiyero, even though the thought didn't really appeal much.

The inner turmoil continued to plague them as they stared silently over the river. Gently, Elphaba slid her left arm around Fiyero's waist and leaned into him, still not saying a word. She smiled as his own slid easily around her shoulders, stroking the top of her arm through the silky fabric of the Vinkun shawl. Casting his eyes from the still water to the top of her head, he noticed she was staring intently down at it, and he realised she was remembering. Discreetly, he led her away from the river, and she seemed to snap back to reality.

"About earlier…" he began, but Elphaba shook her head.

"Please don't try and let me down gently. I completely understand if you just want to be my friend. I- I was emotional. I'm sorry. You shouldn't just kiss a girl like that, then leave her hanging. It's not nice," she sighed, moving to break out of his embrace. The young man kept a hold of her.

"What? I can't believe you just said that! You still seem to think so _little _of me," Fiyero said, obviously hurt. His bright eyes blazed with emotion as he looked at her, and Elphaba felt her legs turn to some sort of jelly-like substance. Damn him.

"I don't under-"

"Elphaba, I _like _you, okay?" he snapped, the admittance coming out sharper than he would have liked. At least it was better than saying 'I love you'. He was sure that would cause her to bolt. "I kissed you because I _like _you. I've wanted to kiss you for ages. I wasn't trying to make you feel better, I wasn't trying to lead you on, I wasn't playing a joke on you…I like you." The words were gabbled and they ran into one another slightly; the small amount of beer he had drunk slurred his speech a little, not to mention these unprecedented, out of character nerves. Elphaba looked utterly stunned.

"I-" she began, only to be cut off again.

"Oz knows I don't _want _to like you. I want to hate you like I did a couple of weeks ago, but for some reason, I can't. I don't know whether it's because you're sweet or because you're funny or because you're beautiful or because you can out-smart me at every turn…I don't understand. But honestly, Elphie. I like you. A lot," Fiyero confessed, a bashful yet oddly frustrated smile appearing on his face. Elphaba still had her arms around him, and she couldn't suppress a giddy grin of delight.

"Really?" she whispered, praying to whatever deity happened to be listening that he wasn't playing a cruel joke on her. Fiyero chuckled and bent down, sweeping her off her feet with one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back.

"Really," he smiled, and from this vantage point Elphaba could see in his unfailingly sincere eyes that he meant it.

"I guess I like you too. A little. Only a tiny bit, though," she confided, daring to plant a chaste little kiss on his lips. This innocent little gesture elicited an amused eyebrow raise from Fiyero.

"What happened to the firecracker from earlier?" he queried jokingly, brushing his lips across the tip of her nose. Elphaba blushed.

"Please, _never _remind me of that again!"

"Oh, I don't know. I-" Fiyero was stopped by her glare. "Never mind. I like this Elphaba."

He made to carry her off in the direction of the taxi rank, but she tapped him on the shoulder with one long finger.

"Yero?"

"Yes, beautiful?"

"For a start," Elphaba began with an amused frown, "don't call me that, because you're lying. Second of all…my new boots are back there. Please turn around so I can get them back."

"Sure thing, beautiful."

* * *

They strolled back to the hotel, Elphaba holding her boots in one hand, while Fiyero played with the fingers of the other.

"You know, I don't understand why we brought a car to the City…We never use it," she observed, smiling at his apparent captivation with her right hand. Fiyero didn't reply, but continued to stroke her palm with his fingertips. She squirmed.

"I don't know what I ever found ugly about this colour," he murmured after a moment, raising her arm to his face and peering at it with evident fascination. The tiny hairs on the back of Elphaba's neck stood on end as he stroked her skin, a content smile appearing on his face.

"Apparently you've deluded yourself into thinking that it's alright, now. Imagine what your friends at Shiz would say!" she replied with a sharp cackle, the memory of Glinda calling him 'Cuppycake' popping without warning into her mind.

"They can suck it, for all I care," Fiyero said savagely, ignoring the way Elphaba's eyes widened, scandalised, at his coarse turn of phrase. "I'll just spend all of my time with you…if you don't mind," he added hastily. Foisting his unwanted presence on her would _not _win him any favours, and even though she drove him crazy, he _was _in love with her. Elphaba looked surprised, but didn't turn him down.

"Maybe not _all_ your time…Maybe I'll teach you how to navigate the library! Teach you how I live," she joked, a wicked glint appearing in her eyes.

"And maybe I'll be able to drag you out of the library every once in a while. I want at least one date a week!" he cried happily, then stopped in his tracks. "We _are _dating now, aren't we?" he clarified, and Elphaba nodded once, matter-of-factly.

Fiyero gave a whoop of delight and went tearing off down the road, waving his arms and leaping with joy every few steps. Elphaba watched him fondly, amused by how childlike he still seemed. His many faceted personality continued to surprise her.

"Come on, Elphie!" he called from the other end of the street. "Run!"

She raised her eyebrow incredulously. She didn't even know when the last time she had run _was_. She was twenty now, and her last memory of moving faster than a brisk walk must have been at least eight years ago. Mentally, she felt much too old for running.

"Just because _you _can act like a five year old doesn't mean the rest of us can!" she shouted in reply, padding up to him at the same leisurely pace as she had started with. Much to her surprise, he came darting up the pavement again and grabbed her by the hand. Without warning he was tugging her behind him, sprinting between parked cars and the few people who happened to be out and about at this time of night. They looked bemused at the young pair running past them, but it didn't trouble them for long.

"Fiyero! What are you doing?" Elphaba shrieked as she was practically dragged down another strange street, her little legs having to work a lot harder than Fiyero's long ones. He looked back at her with a small smile.

"I'm teaching you to be young again! I'm teaching you how _I _live," he replied, his breathing uneven with exertion. With a jolt, she realised he was right. The exhilarating feeling of moving at such speed reminded her of the huge gardens at Colwen Grounds where she could flit around as she pleased. Her bare feet began to make more rapid contact with the ground as she sped up, ignoring the burn in her calves and the sweat on her forehead.

"Race you to those traffic lights!" she grinned, a burst of speed exploding from her stomach and propelling her at few steps in front of her companion. Fiyero immediately ground to a halt and grinned as she pelted away from him, hair streaming behind her like a cloak, boots hitting off her hips with every swing of her arms. She looked magnificent, and could almost have been flying, her gait was so smooth and her velocity so swift. With another grin, he began to tear after her once again.

* * *

"Is it your intention to beat me in _everything_ we do in life?" Fiyero shot, collapsing onto the bench and leaning back, breathing heavily. Elphaba slumped beside him, her muscles burning with exertion. She grinned smugly at him.

"Well, it does sound like a plan," she laughed, mussing his hair affectionately. The young man grimaced and flattened it back into place.

"I'll thank you not to mess up my hair, please!" he cried sullenly, put out that she had managed to beat him at the race. Even with the natural speed and strength of his people he could not defeat sleek, agile Elphaba. His male pride was _definitely _wounded.

"Ooooh!" Elphaba jibed. "Someone's touchy! Is poor Yero sad that little ol' Elphie beat him in a race? Is he sad 'cause he got beaten by a _girl_?"

"Pffft. As if."

"Oh my Unnamed God. You _are_!"

"I'm not!"

"Are."

"Not."

"Are."

"Okay, I am."

"Ha! I win again!"

"I don't believe it. You're amazing," Fiyero informed her incredulously. Elphaba snorted, recognising that it was less praise and more distaste. He shook his head fondly and pulled her into his arms, ruffling her hair in the same fashion. She batted his hands away and struggled to the other end of the bench, glaring and trying to fix her hair.

"Okay, we're even," she spat angrily, eyes narrowing at the playful grin that had appeared on Fiyero's face.

"You're incorrigible." The statement was matter-of-fact and her tone was hard, but her eyes were glittering. Fiyero leaned forward to capture her lips in a tormenting chaste kiss, and Elphaba found herself softening despite herself. Why was he so _persuasive_?

"You know you love it really," he joked happily, springing to his feet and setting off down the road. Elphaba followed a few paces behind. a warm thrill erupting in her tummy. Her whispered reply was not heard by his ears.

"You have no idea how much!"

* * *

**I have no idea where the running came from. I just...I don't know. I'm so, so sorry for this abomination that I have the cheek to call a chapter. **


	19. Past and Present

**Ohh! I like this one! :) Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. Btw, I wasn't dissing the idea of running. When my Dad died, running was a great outlet! Everyone should try it. **

**But yeah. I like this one. **

* * *

"_A present for you, my pet," smiled the young man, handing his daughter small wooden bird that he had carved with his own two hands. The child looked at it dolefully, no trace of happiness crossing her pretty emerald face. She felt at it with her cunning little fingers, and then glanced up at her bearded father with a look of faint satisfaction. _

"_Good bird," she stated, then nodded matter of factly. Her father smiled again and ruffled her hair. She could hear her mother singing in the next room: her mother had a pretty voice. He could hear it too, and they felt bonded together with love for Mama. _

"_I'm glad you like it, my little Fabala." _

_The girl inserted the head of the bird into her mouth and began to suck on it like it was a whistle; her father grimaced as he heard the dull crack of the poor animal being decapitated. The child, on the other hand, withdrew the toy and smiled happily at it. _

"_**Better **__bird, Papa," she enthused, picking up the head of the bird from where it had fallen on the floor. She deposited it in her pocket and turned away from the face of the disappointed man. The girl could see his bitter expression reflected in the green glass contraption, but when he saw her looking, he changed it to a fond grin. It upset him that she preferred the broken things, but he loved her anyway. _

_Suddenly, the girl was older. She had been in the room for three days, and he had barely taken the time to thrust plates of cold soup or glasses of water through the lockable hole in the door. She could hear him thundering up the stairs, and instinctively drew the duvet closer around her small body. He burst into her room with a cry of rage and snatched her from the bed. _

"_You have been stealing your Mama's things! I told you NEVER to touch Mama's things!" he screamed, flecks of spit flying into her face. She shook her head violently, struggling to get out of his grasp. The back of his hand collided with her cheek, doing nothing to quell her squealed protestations. _

"_I haven't! I didn't!" she sobbed, too surprised and terrified to do anything but squirm. He didn't believe her. _

"_You must never go into my bedroom, do you hear? You have brought me enough shame and sorrow without having you stealing things that aren't yours! You unholy little monster! I wish you had never been born!"_

_Then water. Water, water, __**water**__, deep and cold and painful, attacking every inch of her body while her heartbeat pounded in her ears and her brain sped noisily through every memory she had ever had, and his face at the bank, staring blankly at her and she was __**screaming**__ -_

* * *

"Elphaba!" Fiyero cried, pounding his fist on her hotel room door, terrified at the sound of her anguished screeches. Elphaba awoke with a start, disorientated and bewildered. It took her a moment to collect herself enough to realise that it was Fiyero's call that had woken her up, and that it wasn't simply a hellish continuation of the memory she had been dreaming about. Shakily, she climbed out of bed and crossed to the door on unstable legs, a cold sweat saturating her hair and pyjamas.

"Y-Yero?" she stuttered as he came into view, panic and concern etched into his face. She backed away from the arms he held out, preferring to clutch at her own shoulders for comfort.

"You nearly woke the whole hotel! What's wrong?" he queried anxiously, reaching a hand out to cup her hot cheek. She accepted this reassurance more willingly than his embrace, though her eyes were narrowed in indefinable emotion.

"The water," she explained throatily. "I was dreaming about the water. I feel…Something's going to happen. I can sense it," she whispered, crossing to the window and peering out as though expecting something dramatic to happen right under her nose. Fiyero looked at her in great confusion, still befuddled by his sudden awakening.

"What?"

"You know that I take Sorcery at Shiz?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Part of my natural magical ability is some kind of foresight. It's not so much that I see exactly what's going to happen; more that I re-live past events that are _connected _to what is going to happen in the near future."

"Uh…huh?" He was definitely confused now, but Elphaba kept her back to him, struggling to keep her breathing regular.

"I saw my Father. I think…I think I'm going to meet him again, and soon," she muttered, the picture of his livid, crazed face almost glued at the front of her mind.

Though he had already decided that the hour was far too obscene for in-depth discussions, Fiyero tentatively turned Elphaba towards him and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders; she was shaking with suppressed feelings, her whole body quivering against him.

"Are you scared?" he whispered simply into the top of her head, and the green girl shook her head defiantly.

"No," stated the young woman boldly, but her trembling hands gave away the real answer.

Fiyero sighed sadly. "He can do _nothing _to you now. Don't forget, you have me."

"I think I should try to find Glinda again and try to patch things up with her. I'll need the support of both of you." She felt Fiyero tense at the mention of the young woman's name.

"Can we tell her? About us, I mean," he asked gently, and Elphaba pulled away with an amused half smile on her face.

"I had forgotten there actually _was _an us! Oz, that's been five hours now? I am so incredibly proud of my ability to stop myself pushing you away. Of course, there's still plenty of time," she added darkly, the smile collapsing back into the gloomy frown of a moment previous. Fiyero shook his head.

"Stop being such a pessimist. I'm not going anywhere!"

"**Yet**! And no, we can't tell her. I don't want to see the look on her face."

"The look of what?"

"Disgust? Pity? _Delight_? Who in Oz knows. Let's just…_not_. Let me go and find her on my own, so that I have one less problem whenever Father turns up."

"I suppose you're right. I'm not happy about you going anywhere on your own, though, when you say that he's going to be around-"

"For someone so new to it, you set too much store by my abilities. I _have _been wrong before, you know. Maybe he's not coming," Elphaba shrugged, the comfort of Fiyero's arms settling like a warm blanket around her, normalcy slowly returning. He snorted incredulously.

"You're never wrong, Thropp. Why would you start now?"

Fiyero's faith in her was both reassuring and maddening, as Elphaba had consciously hoped that he would make light of her almost-prediction and tell her that she was being ridiculous, yet his honest confidence in her abilities was touching and appreciated by the green girl. Settling back into her usual mindset, she yawned and stood on tiptoe to place a grateful kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sorry I woke you, Yero. Go back to bed." She tried to smile cheerfully, but even in the dark it was recognisable as a grimace. Fiyero shook his head.

"I'll stay here tonight, if you want," he offered, twisting her loose hair around his fist then letting it fall back to her waist. It was slightly damp with sweat, and her skin also shone with the evidence of her distress. Elphaba shifted forlornly, unwilling to come across as the helpless female that she so detested, no matter how much her brain screamed that she needed to.

"Do whatever you think is right," she said, her tone strong and clear to anyone but Fiyero, who could somehow sense that she still wasn't happy. He smiled sadly at her inability to stay vulnerable for long, and told her that he was indeed going to be staying for the rest of the night. Elphaba shrugged and crossed over to the large bed, tossing herself in carelessly and covering her face with her arms.

"Can I?" Fiyero questioned, receiving nothing but a single stiff nod in reply. Elphaba felt the left hand side of the mattress sink down as he crawled in, and passively allowed him to wrap his arms around her waist. She _so _wanted his comfort again, but her inner wall of steel simply wouldn't allow it.

"G'night," was all she said, images of her lost family swimming around her mind. Fiyero was already asleep.

* * *

Meir strode down the wide street towards the café where he had last met Glinda. He knew she would probably be in there; she seemed like the kind of girl who liked routine. Tossing his blonde curls out of his eyes, he grinned as he saw the girl herself sitting at a wrought iron table outside, a brand new sketchpad in her lap.

"Fancy meeting you here," he whispered in her ear when he reached her, and she started in a perfect imitation of their last meeting. Her eyes weren't quite as bright as they had been. "Something's troubling you," Meir stated, seating himself at the table without a second thought. Glinda pursed her lips.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" she scolded, motioning to the waiter for a second cup of coffee.

"I'm sorry," the man apologised, before leaning on his fist and tilting his head in concern. "So what is it that's worrying you? Did you break a pencil lead?"

"No. I met Elphie and Fiyero yesterday," she replied snippily, stowing the pencil and paper safely into her large handbag. Meir eyed her in confusion and she sighed at his apparently short memory. "The people from the picture yesterday."

"Oh right. The green one and your ex?"

"The very same."

"So…they were here? In the city?"

"In this _café_! He verbally attacked me then she left! We followed her and she started to rage at me, yelling at me because of my job and because I abandoned her…She left and he followed her," Glinda explained, shrugging despondently and stirring around the froth of her coffee with a metal spoon.

"You want to make up with her," he guessed, and the young woman didn't even pause to consider his amazing ability to interpret emotions.

"Yes, I do. All night I was trying to convince myself to give her time and that I didn't care, but…I miss my Elphie," she admitted, fingering the ends of her short hair with obvious sadness. Meir reached across the table and gently took her free hand, smiling with a softness in his eyes.

Glinda tried to remember the last time anyone had looked at her with so much understanding and compassion, but couldn't recall one instance. Fiyero had looked at her with mild affection and lust flecked with friendship. Elphaba had looked at her with an impatient fondness and amusement, the infuriating mixture that only the green girl could express. Her parents looked at her with boredom in their eyes. Never before had anyone looked at her like this.

"What's the job that she so disapproves of?" Meir asked quietly, disturbing the flow of her romantic thoughts. She immediately blushed and looked at the table.

"I'm a dancer," she muttered, not willing to elaborate. One cocked eyebrow from Meir elicited the rest of the answer. "A Burlesque dancer," she clarified. His blue eyes widened and his lips pursed in shock.

"Oh. I can see why she might disapprove," he winked, recovering his playful expression almost immediately.

Glinda released the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. Perhaps this Meir was a good guy to have around.

* * *

Steam filled the bathroom as Fiyero took his early morning shower. He sang a popular song at the top of his lungs, rinsing shampoo out of his hair then repeating the process. Elphaba opened the door quietly and tiptoed to the sink, reaching for her toothbrush and trying to keep her eyes away from the frosted glass shower screen.

"I can hear you creeping around, you know!" Fiyero laughed, causing Elphaba to jump in surprise.

"Sorry! I'm not looking, I promise. Just let me brush my teeth and I'll go. I need to see Glinda anyway," she said quickly, her eyes closing momentarily in mortification. The Prince stuck his head out of the shower to be heard better.

"It's me who should be apologising, I should have used my own shower…Are you feeling better now?" he questioned, smirking as his companion turned to him and kept her eyes glued to the tiles above his head. She granted a smile and a glance at his face before resuming her careful study of the grouting.

"Yeah, much better. Thanks for staying last night, I really appreciated it."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart. I wasn't going to leave you in that state," Fiyero replied gently. Elphaba nodded gratefully and turned away to brush her teeth.

"I know I didn't show it at the time, but it meant a lot that you were there. Anyway, I'm going to go. If I know Glin, she'll be at that café drowning her sorrows with a large latte." Elphaba made to exit, but was stopped by Fiyero's indignant exclamation. "What?"

"What about me? Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" he whined, leaning as far out of the shower as he could without showing anything that could make things awkward. Elphaba raised an eyebrow. She had actually forgotten that they were 'together' now.

"A goodbye kiss? Really?" she laughed incredulously, thrilled at the heart warming smile that flew onto Fiyero's face. He nodded enthusiastically.

"If you don't, I'm coming out and kissing you no matter how much my nakedness makes you crazy. It'll mean you might miss Glinda, but you'll enjoy it anyway," flirted the young man, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Heat rose to Elphaba's face as she quickly flitted across and planted a fleeting kiss on his cheek. He slid a wet hand to the back of her neck and caught her lips, gently caressing them with his own and playing havoc with her heartbeat. When he released her, Elphaba spluttered a little then almost sprinted from the room, her pulse pumping and her cheeks flushed.

"I'll see you later!" he called after her with a loud laugh. The slam of the hotel room door drowned out her reply.

* * *

Just as she had expected, Elphaba saw Glinda sat outside the café with a large latte. Sitting beside her was a young man, but oddly, it didn't bother the green girl. They talked and he looked at her tenderly, and she somehow realised that this was a good thing to happen to Glinda. Instead of rushing up and tugging her out of the stranger's way, she simply strolled up and tapped her friend on the shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," she said simply, almost amused by the blatant shock on Glinda's face.

"So I am," the other girl replied quietly. "Can I hug you, or will you hit me?" she asked, laughing shakily. In reply, Elphaba leapt at her friend and wrapped her arms around her, the display of affection so highly out of character but so longed-for making a tear rise to Glinda's eye.

"I missed you, Glin."

* * *

**Aw. Reconcilliation. I love it. 3 I think Elphie is allowed to be a little soppy; she's missed her best friend. **

**That's my way of saying 'sorry for any OOCness'. :) **


	20. Awkward Conversations

****

Thanks for the reviews. I think there are a lot of people who're reading and not reviewing, though...I'd like to reach 200 before the end, so do you think you could just let me know you're here? :D Lurking is okay usually, but...yeah. It'd be nice.

* * *

Fiyero meandered idly through the winding streets, endeavouring to find interest in the shop window displays. One glittering boutique professed to supply hats to the crème of the Emerald City society, while another boasted to be run by the long lost Ozma Tippetarius. He snorted resentfully at this assertion; it was his personal belief that the little girl was undeniably and reliably dead, sad as it was. A few doors down there was a pokey little shop selling herbs and spices, then right next door was a bright, modern showroom for televisions and other electronic items. Even in just one street, the diversity of the city was startling.

He missed Elphaba's presence. In the last couple of weeks he had grown so used to her being around every waking- and often, sleeping- moment, when it came to be that she wasn't there, he felt utterly lost. The young man would have been lying to himself if he had said that her company was always a joy; but at least she was there. What would he do if she never came back?

Immediately Fiyero's brain whirred into overreaction mode. Supposing that her dream _had _been a sign that her Father would make an appearance, was it safe for her to be wandering the streets alone? Just the thought of what the man had done to her made the young man shiver in revulsion, and he instantaneously whirled in the opposite direction and set off towards the café. He only hoped that she would in fact be there.

* * *

"Elphie, this is Meir. He's a new friend of mine," Glinda beamed, indicating the young blonde man to her friend. "Meir this is Elphaba, my besest friend!" she added, grinning giddily as the pair shook hands. Meir observed Elphaba subtly, making no obvious acknowledgement of her unusual verdegris. He smiled politely and motioned to the chair at his side.

"Ga-Glinda…Do you think we could talk? Not right now, just whenever you're free," Elphaba requested, repentant for her hasty actions but not feeble enough to let her friend get completely away with everything. Glinda nodded stoically.

"Of course, Elphie. We may as well do it right now. I'll go first. I'm sorry that I left without warning you; that I didn't tell you where I was going; that I made no effort to let you know I was alright; that I put you through having to spend two weeks with Fiyero; that I was mean to you yesterday when we met up and that I left Shiz for this job, even though I actually quite like it," the former blonde reeled off, her gaze steely and sincere. Meir looked flummoxed.

"I-" Elphaba began, but Glinda wasn't finished.

"I'm _really _sorry that I dyed and cut my hair, because I feel like a part of me is missing whenever I go to brush it in the morning. I'm _not _sorry that you and Fiyero have gotten closer; I even have tiny suspicion that he likes you, but don't tell him I said that in case you embarrass him. I'm also not sorry that I'm here, because I got accepted to Art College and I only do the dancing job so that I can pay the fees," she finished matter-of-factly, draining her cup with an element of clumsy comedy that only she could execute gracefully.

"Should I leave you two to it?" Meir asked in the pause before Elphaba spoke. Both young women shook their heads: his attendance was of no consequence to their meeting. The girl with black hair straightened her posture and began to speak.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have encouraged you to come here, but there is every possibility you would have done it without my support one day anyway. I'm glad that I came to find you, even if I did have to drag the most annoying Prince ever crowned with me the whole way." This was said with a tender smile that fluttered across Elphaba's face so quickly Glinda almost missed it. "I suppose that I'm sorry that I was horrible to you yesterday, even if you _did _deserve it a little, my pretty! And as for your hair…well, I miss your classical curls!" She fondled the newly dark hair briefly, torn between admiration and disapproval.

* * *

"Oh, it's you!" Elphaba exclaimed as an out of breath Fiyero approached, his chest heaving with physical exertion: in his worry, he had started to run again. Glinda and Meir looked up simultaneously.

"You s-say that…like…it's a ba-ad thing!" the Prince panted, flopping down into the last remaining chair and mopping his brow with Meir's napkin. The Gillikinese boy was not impressed, but he hid his distaste well and kept silent.

"Well, I'd hardly class it as my favourite event of the day," the green girl teased, the sparkle in her eyes showing him that she was simply playing a game. He understood that it wasn't time for Glinda to know, so he played along.

"More like your favourite event of the _year_, Thropp. Don't lie, we all know you can't resist me."

"In your dreams, you arrogant-"

"Hey! We'll have less of that, little Miss Saucebox!" he taunted, surprised at the deftness with which she allowed her pupils to connect with his for one flirtatious second before hardening her gaze again.

"Why don't you just shut your massive mouth for once?" she suggested cheerfully.

"Why don't you just make me?" he grinned coyly, and it for a moment it looked as though he had won their pretend argument, as she almost blushed and there was a momentary pause.

"On the account of my ability to shut you up with ridiculous ease, me _making_ you would be an unfairly disappointing experience for you. There are so many methods to choose from, I'd be hard pushed to find one that an oddity like yourself wouldn't enjoy! Also, I'm afraid that you might just go a little mad if you were deprived of the sound of your own voice for too long, since when I silence people, I silence them for life. So really, are you _positive _you want me to make you shut the **colossal **orifice more commonly known as your mouth?" Elphaba queried, her tone businesslike and her expression equally so.

Glinda and Meir looked between the pair, identically delighted grins appearing on their faces. Glinda had missed this arguing and Elphaba's unmatchable gift for thwarting Fiyero at every turn. The young man in question looked both abashed and amused, almost as though he was enjoying her verbal beating.

"It seems that you've outdone me again, Elphaba. Well done," he congratulated, a tiny chuckle escaping from his lips. Elphaba grinned wickedly and nodded.

"That has to be the most spectacular thrashing I've ever witnessed!" Meir enthused, clapping Elphaba on the back with an ecstatic guffaw. Glinda laughed, and suddenly felt an tremendous sense of belonging as she gazed around at her friends, old and new.

"Oh!" she gasped, hand flying to her mouth in mild shock. "I'm sorry, boys, I forgot to introduce you to one another. Meir, this is Fiyero…my ex boyfriend. Fiyero, this is Meir. He's-"

"Her new boyfriend, if she'll have me," interjected the blonde man, shaking Fiyero's larger hand with an amiable smile. Glinda looked taken aback.

"Well, I- that is, you- it's not really…I hardly know-"

"Look how fussed she's getting! She was never like this at Shiz!" Elphaba crowed, the taller woman's discomfort an obvious delight for her. Meir continued to look hopeful; he knew that Glinda would agree.

"If it's me your worried about, you don't have to be," Fiyero assured her, patting the back of her hand affectionately and granting Elphaba a smouldering stare. She returned it briefly, wondering how long they could keep up their façade of arguments; at that very moment, his lips looked fantastically tempting, as did his hair, the wind blowing the long fringe into his vividly expressive eyes.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Glinda quizzed Fiyero, pulling Elphaba from her reverie. Her Prince laughed and shook his head happily, which caused his ex to grin in return. She turned to Meir. "If that was you asking me out, then sure, I'll be your girlfriend."

* * *

The four decided to spend the day together. Fiyero and Meir weren't particularly fond of one another: too much fragile male ego for a single group. Glinda had returned to her somewhat overenthusiastic self, and twittered on to Elphaba about insignificant times at Shiz, every so often nudging her friend when she'd catch Fiyero looking.

"He likes you, Elphie!" she whispered as they lay in the grass of the park, watching the young men having some kind of argument over who had the best hair by way of a football match. Elphaba raised an sceptical eyebrow at her friend and made a dismissive sound in the back of her throat.

"Nonsense, my pet. I think the last few weeks have gone to your head," the smaller woman replied with a fond but curt smile. She didn't regret not telling Glinda; it was quite fun to hear her speak this way, and it meant that being with Fiyero could be a delicious little secret for a time, while she acclimatised to the whole idea.

"He _does_! I can see it. He's simply begging for you; I don't know how you're missing it!"

"Oh, hush. You're seeing thing again, Glinny. Regardless, even if he _did _like me, who's to say that I like him? It would be weird anyway. He's your ex." Elphaba's statement stuck a nerve in her; she was almost afraid of what her friend would say. Would she disapprove?

"Who cares? I know I sure as Ozma don't. He obviously _does _like you, and I think you like him too," Glinda winked, her eyes sparkling meaningfully. Elphaba cackled convincingly and rolled onto her tummy.

"I really think you're off the mark, dearest. Didn't you hear our argument earlier?"

"Flirting. Obvious, obvious, _obvious _flirting! You know fine well that you want to 'shut him up', and if you can't see the euphlanism-"

"_Euphemism_."

"Whatever. We both know neither of you were talking about being quiet. I think there'd be a _lot _more noise involved doing what you had in mind."

"**Glinda**! I can't believe you just said that!"

"Just admit it, Elphaba Thropp. **You** need to _get _some," Glinda giggled, poking her friend's shoulder good naturedly. Elphaba groaned in horror and dropped her face into the basket created by her arms.

"Those words should _never _be spoken when referring to me," she snapped, genuinely mortified at the turn the conversation had taken. Controlling herself around Fiyero was already difficult enough, and the thoughts conjured up at Glinda's words didn't make it any easier.

"Why not? You're a woman! There's nothing wrong with having desires!"

"Glin, come on, stop it-"

"But Elphie, you obviously want him or you wouldn't be reacting like this. I don't mind, if you're worried about that- unless you fantasised about him while I was dating him, because then I'd have to kick your-"

"Of course I didn't! I would never have done that to you."

"That's okay, then…but you fantasise about him now, right?" Glinda chortled, having the time of her life watching Elphaba blush darker and darker and grow steadily more uncomfortable.

Just then, Fiyero stormed up to them and slumped to the ground with a childish pout. It was obvious that Meir had won their battle of brawn, and the Vinkun wasn't happy about it.

"He cheated! He kicked the ball and it _didn't _go into goal but he's claiming that it did and won't learn to take no for an answer," he fumed, automatically pulling the band from the end of Elphaba's pleat and freeing her hair. She sat up in perfect sync with Glinda and shuffled away from both of them. She could see Meir doing keep-ups nearby, but Fiyero was no longer looking at him. Wordlessly, he crawled to her back and began to brush his long fingers through her perfect locks.

"I've always envied her hair," Glinda told Fiyero warmly, smiling as the girl in question's eyes fluttered slightly. She took the moment to slip away to speak to Meir: if they were going to get together, her presence wouldn't speed up the process. Fiyero moved his hands to massage her scalp.

"With a brain as active as yours, your head must hurt sometimes," he added in reply to Elphaba's sigh of contentment. Without thinking, he leaned in closer and placed one leg on either side of her small body, allowing her to melt back into his torso. He brushed a kiss to the top of her head as his hands crept to the back of her neck.

Elphaba couldn't concentrate on anything but his hands. Her normally huge resistance to his charm was severely crippled due to her own tiredness, the new status of their relationship and the fact that the relief of tension in her overworked body was pleasant and welcome.

"You're taking advantage of the fact that I barely slept last night," she accused quietly, disregarding the fact that it was barely one in the afternoon; she was tired and dearly wished to sleep. Fiyero chuckled darkly and rolled her head forward.

"I would never." His voice was low and husky to her ears, and it made her nerves tingle with anticipation. The heel of his hand and his fingers kneaded the space between her shoulder blades, and she found herself cursing the black fabric that prevented skin on skin contact. With great self discipline and effort, she leaned away.

"Later. If you carry on like that who knows what I'll do, and as we're supposed to dislike one another, I don't think it would go down well," she said throatily, shuffling out of his embrace with immense reluctance.

"The only one that I dislike here is that Meir. He thinks he's so gorgeous!" Fiyero spat contemptuously, watching as Elphaba stretched out on the grass next to him. He mirrored her posture and stared up at the vast blue sky.

"Well, he is quite handsome," Elphaba conceded playfully, and Fiyero nudged her. "Not nearly as handsome as you, though. If he's that much of a cheat at football, go and challenge him to a race. You'll definitely win that one!" she suggested brightly, knowing that an outlet for his energies would be a good thing; trying to control a hyperactive Fiyero was like trying to control a terrier dog on acid…impossible.

"Good idea!" he cried, and up and off he went, bounding along with boyish energy.

"See?" Glinda grinned as she flopped back into her place and looked at Elphaba smugly. "He likes you, and you two basically just broadcasted to the whole park that you're dying to sleep together." Her friend snorted.

"That would be incredibly awkward," she replied simply, not deigning to dignify the remark with further answer.

"Two or three weeks ago, I thought so too. I thought that you two should never become friends, because I knew it would lead straight to the bedroom, which would mean I'd lose you both, as well as control. I guess I've grown up a bit now, and I can see that I had no right to be so selfish," Glinda admitted bashfully. Elphaba snorted again, although inwardly touched by this confession.

"But it _hasn't _lead straight to the bedroom! Well, we've slept in the same room a couple of times, but we've never done anything!" she clarified quickly, sensing the deluge of comments that were about to issue from her friend.

"I think that it's fairly obvious that you two have slept in the same room."

"We slept in the same bed last night."

"What? Why? Oh my Oz, tell me everything!" Glinda squealed, again amazed at how little she cared that this was her ex she was talking about. As far as she was concerned, Meir far eclipsed him.

"There's nothing to tell. I had a nightmare and he was next door…I was shaken and he just stayed to comfort me, that's all. It's not like it's the first time," Elphaba added with a shrug, ignoring Glinda's questioning gaze. "There was nothing to it; it was just a couple of instances that we both needed someone there. That's all."

"Oh. That's not very exciting! I at least expected a bit of heavy petting."

"I think I'm going to vomit!"

"No-use denying it, Elphie. You two have some serious sexy-time vibes going on. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Glinda insisted again, patting her friend's head cheerfully. Elphaba glared at her, and the former blonde giggled. She really had missed her green friend and how easily she got riled up.

"Please, Glin, can't you just give it a rest? I'm slowly losing the will to live," Elphaba sighed heavily, narrowing her eyes in irritation. Glinda cocked her head.

"I'll give it a rest if you admit it," she said cunningly, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"If I admit what?"

"Quit the stupid act! Admit that you're dying to get him into bed with you."

"Sweet Oz!"

"Elphie!"

"No!"

"Elphaba, don't lie to me or I'll run off again!"

"**Fine**! I admit it! I really, really, _really _want him. Fiyero makes me…guh! I just want to- to grab him and…well, yeah. Are you satisfied?" Elphaba yelled, much to the amusement of Glinda, as well as Fiyero and Meir who skidded to a stop beside them just as the words were out of her mouth.

An amazed, awkward silence filled the interim seconds. Elphaba looked utterly aghast, Fiyero looked gratified and slightly smug, and both Glinda and Meir were shaking with contained hysterics.

"Coffee, anyone?" chirped Glinda with a bright smile. Meir immediately recovered himself and tossed his hair out of his eyes, nodding happily and offering an arm to his new girlfriend; neither of them seemed perturbed by the fact that they had already exceeded their caffeine limit for the day at least an hour ago. They began to walk towards the mobile coffee van on the other side of the field, leaving Elphaba and Fiyero staring at one another in amusement.

"I can't believe she got that out of me!" Elphaba groaned, withstanding the urge to lean again him for comfort in her humiliation. Fiyero chuckled.

"I think that's probably one of my favourite sentences to ever come out of your mouth, actually," he grinned, bending down to give her a fleeting kiss while their companions backs were still turned.

"It wasn't really a sentence…" countered the young woman dryly. "I think it was more a gabbled string of words, uttered to prevent an energetic girl chewing my ear off about my apparent sexual frustration."

"She said you're sexually frustrated?"

"Not in so many words. She told me that I need to 'get some'," Elphaba cringed and Fiyero laughed raucously, his core muscles contracting painfully as he continued to fall about over his girlfriend's look of utter disgust and embarrassment.

"That can be arranged, you know." He winked at her and she bit her lip. Apparently, she had taken the suggestion on board.

"Don't tempt me, Yero. Honestly, don't. I don't think I could live if we did that then I got even more attached to you then lost you. I don't think you'd even want to, if you saw…" she trailed off, gesturing hopelessly to her body. Fiyero wrinkled his nose and drew her closer, regardless of the fact that Glinda and Meir were headed back with disposable cups and bars of chocolate.

"What did I tell you about speaking ill of yourself? I don't want to hear it!"

"But Yero…"

"No! No buts. You accepted my tattoos without a murmur, and not even _Ga_linda, who was supposed to love me so much, could accept those. There are still so many things I want to say to her, by the way, but since you've made up with her, I won't. Just _please _don't let me hear to saying bad things about yourself again! You're beautiful," he whispered tenderly.

"And _you're _lying, but it's sweet," she mumbled in reply, burying her face into his shirt for a moment then pulling away when she sensed Glinda's presence behind her.

The taller girl shot her a questioning look, but the green woman simply shook her head and took the coffee. Her head was starting to hurt, and she had a horrible pain in her stomach. Something was going to happen, and she was almost certain she knew what it was. Her father was going to make an appearance.

Elphaba promptly blacked out.

* * *

**Heh. Aye. This conversation really happened. **


	21. Fae and Frex

**I don't know if I'll update again before Christmas...Thanks for the reviews :D **

* * *

The next thing Elphaba was aware of was being laid down onto something soft while three voices- two deep, one higher- murmured urgently around her. A cold hand was laid on her forehead, smoothing some hair out of the way as it took her temperature.

"If there's something the matter with her then maybe we should take her to hospital!" a voice said; it sounded like melted chocolate run through with sweet caramel and reinforced with the might of diamonds. Elphaba subconsciously smiled.

"She'll be fine, Fiyero. Stop being such a _baby,_" another male voice insisted- a little higher than the last, it was champagne, strawberries and cream from a pressurised can. Not so much to her taste, so in her head she wrinkled her nose.

"Both of you just shut it!" the female snapped, and Elphaba's internal self giggled. This voice was nice: lilac flowers and lemon drops, tinged with silvery strength. "Has she had any funny dreams lately?" Lilac and lemons asked quietly, and there was a long pause while someone composed themselves. It was chocolate and diamonds that replied.

"Um…yeah. Last night. She said she had a vision about her dad coming," he said slowly, and the beautiful voice sounded pained. Elphaba didn't like this; that kind of beauty shouldn't be allowed to be upset, so she tried to open her eyes.

"That would explain it then. Sometimes, when Elphie has one of her funny vision-y things, it's something bad and though she's too strong to admit it, she can't cope with it. Her body just packs up for a little while until it feels she's steeled herself enough to deal with whatever's going to happen," Lilac and lemons said with a sigh of relief, and the cold hand stroked her cheek fondly.

"Why is her dad turning up a big deal?" queried champagne curiously.

"I don't think she'd want us to tell you that," Chocolate replied stiffly, and Elphaba visualised two huge, warm, tanned hands balling into fists.

"_You _know?" cried Lilac.

"Of course I know!"

"She told you?"

"Told him what?"

"Just shut up, all of you!" Elphaba snapped suddenly, and she was surprised at the words. She wasn't even aware that she could speak, and now her eyes were opening. The people came into view, a girl who leaned over her with a cold hand on her forehead and two young men.

_Oh_.

"Elphaba! You're awake!" Fiyero cried, launching across the room and gathering her up into his arms. She spluttered a little, her head spinning.

"I think I must have addled my equilibrium again," she laughed half-heartedly, patting him on the back with one hand. Over his shoulder she could see Glinda's incredulous look, but chose to ignore the enquiring stares. Instead, she peered around, vaguely realising that they were in Fiyero's hotel room.

"It was the closest," Meir informed her, catching her confused expression.

"Oh." She gasped as Fiyero tightened his hold around her waist and pressed his lips to the unexpectedly sensitive area just below her right ear. She hissed quietly through her teeth and repressed the compulsion to hold his head there.

"I was so worried…" he muttered gently before letting her go. His expression was sheepish as he patted her hand as an afterthought, only just remembering to keep their cover as far as Glinda and Meir were concerned.

"You needn't be worried, silly. I'm just fine. I'm- oh!" Elphaba made to stand up and wobbled precariously on her feet, so Glinda caught her by the elbow and pulled her back onto the bed.

"_You _are not going anywhere, Miss Thropp! You are going to stay here, I am going to get a room in this hotel and I'm going to watch to like a _hawk _until this **bloody **father of yours turns up!" the tall woman commanded, bundling the Munchkinlander under the covers before she could protest.

"But Glin, I'm fine!" she cried, trying to struggle out of the cocoon of blankets. Fiyero shook his head and pinned her down.

"You're staying here, and that's final."

"But this is your room."

"So?"

"I can at least walk back to my own _room_!"

"No."

"Don't try and tell me what to do, Tiggular! I won't be bullied!" Elphaba yelled, and it was obvious to everyone that they were arguing for real now. Fiyero set his jaw and forced her back against the pillows.

"You _are _going to stay here, Thropp," he said, his voice dangerously low. "Even if I have to _tie you down_, you're staying here." Fiyero's eyes connected with her own, and she silently dared him to make good on that threat. Her breath caught in her throat as his gaze burned into her own, and she wondered if he might just take her there and then. _She _was certainly amenable.

Meir coughed awkwardly, and Glinda followed suit. Elphaba stopped struggling, which allowed Fiyero to release her arms.

"Okay, since that's settled…I'll go get a room. Coming, Meir?" Glinda said quickly, her voice barely anything more than a squeak. The Gillikinese pair hurried from the room without another word.

A splutter of embarrassed laughter later, and Elphaba tossed her head back and began to cackle raucously.

"Ooooh Oz! Could that have _been _any more **awkward**?" she crowed, allowing the unexpected burst of oxygen to make her head spin again. Fiyero chuckled along with her, running a bashful hand through his dark hair.

"I don't think so," he smiled, shuffling closer to her and crossing his legs into a basket.

"I'm tempted to struggle, though, just to see if you'll make good on that threat - or was it a promise? I sort of hope so."

Fiyero's eyed widened and he chortled a little in surprise. "Wow. I certainly never had you pegged as the kinky type," he grinned a little shyly, and the young woman simply arched one perfect eyebrow.

"I'm a woman _full _of surprises," Elphaba smirked. "There are a few things in my repertoire that even _you _would be shocked by. Granted, sex wasn't their original purpose, but…I'm willing to experiment." Fiyero almost collapsed on the spot as she winked at him, and wondered how long it would be until Glinda and Meir returned.

"Is _that _a promise?" he queried, his voice cracking a little in anticipation. Elphaba leaned over to kiss him gently.

"It could well be, my sweet." She kissed him again, harder this time, then broke away. "But for now, since I'm being told to stay in bed like some sort of invalid, you can go and get me some food then bring my stuff through here and take your own stuff next door," she ordered cheerfully, and the Prince immediately pouted and crossed his arms.

"That's not fair! Why can't I just stay in here?" he whined.

"We've been "going out" for around twelve hours-"

"Fourteen hours and twenty two minutes."

"And I'm not _entirely _sure that we're reading for cohabitation yet. Can you imagine that? Having to wake up next to _me _every morning?" said Elphaba, privately thinking that waking up to see **his **face every day wouldn't be half bad. She almost hoped that the opportunity to do so would arise at some point. Fiyero smiled softly.

"I don't know. I think it would be fun!"

"You have trouble staying in a relationship with a girl who you don't _have_ to go home to every night. Imagine if we- if we got married or something! I'm hardly the house-wifey type, am I? I'm not a bad cook, but other than that…"

"You wouldn't have to lift a finger. You'd be crown princess!"

"Then I'd get bored."

"You're just difficult," Fiyero huffed moodily. "Just think, you could have any book you wanted. You could help people! You could have anything you wanted. _Anything_!" Elphaba felt as though he was trying to push her into marrying him before she'd even decided if she was madly in love with him or just madly in lust.

"Stop it, darling," she purred, crawling into his lap and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Carefully, she kissed the spot where his neck met his shoulder, just underneath the collar of his shirt, eliciting a soft, guttural moan from the young man in question.

"Okay. I'll take your room," he groaned submissively, knowing that she would wear him down eventually anyway.

"Good. Now, go get some popcorn and we'll watch a movie. If you see Glin and Meir, you might as well invite them back too," Elphaba smiled, pushing Fiyero into a standing position. He exited the room with bad grace, shooting an irritated glare over his shoulder as he went.

* * *

"Yero, give me the remote. Give. Me. The - hey!" Elphaba screeched as the Prince held the television remote high above her head. She punched him roughly in the stomach and he doubled over, grunting in pain.

"Fae, that was uncalled for!" he whined, collapsing face first onto the bed. Elphaba plopped down beside him and changed the channel.

"Fae. What does that mean? Is it some kind of Vinkun insult?" she teased, ruffling his hair by way of apology. Fiyero struggled into a sitting position.

"No, actually. It's a Vinkun compliment," he replied.

"What does it mean?" repeated the girl, prodding him in the side. He winced further.

"If you're going to keep beating me up, I'm not telling you!" he cried with a childish pout. Elphaba laughed and held her hands up in defeat.

"Okay, okay. I submit. Now tell me, what does it mean?"

"It's Ancient Arjiki. It means 'beautiful goddess'," Fiyero admitted bashfully, waiting for a further thump to some part of his anatomy for daring to call her beautiful.

A short pause ensued, while Elphaba looked torn between screaming and grinning. The left corner of her mouth twitched into an involuntary smile, and her eyes suddenly found the patterned duvet exceedingly interesting. She traced the swirls with one bony finger, her half smile growing wider.

"Oh," she muttered. "That's…nice." Fiyero linked his pinkie finger with hers and raised her chin so that she was looking him in the eyes. They didn't speak, but a spark of emotion was shared as their eyes connected. The Prince leaned in to capture her lips in a sweet kiss, when a fist began to hammer on the door.

"Elphieee?" Glinda cried, tossing a grin over her shoulder at Meir. He laughed as she thumped the door again. "Elphaba! Open up!" she screeched for a second time.

"I'm coming…Hold on!" the green girl replied from within, yanking her hand out of Fiyero's and making to cross the room.

"Eugh, I'm bored of waiting. Tah tum tah tay uhta mahta laaah…" the former blonde muttered under her breath, and the lock clicked open just as Elphaba reached the door. Meir raised an eyebrow, but chose not to question his new girlfriend's actions. Glinda opened the door to Elphaba's surprised face.

"Oh. Hello?" The smaller girl's expression was confused, and she beckoned the pair inside. Fiyero was sprawled on his side, watching the television without much interest. His hair was mussed, and his t-shirt pulled up slightly where he lay, exposing one side of his gently tapered waist. Elphaba's heart fluttered at the sight of his bare skin, but she kept her outward demeanour composed.

"Hiya Glin. Meir," Fiyero said flatly, waving a hand and not taking his eyes from the screen.

"It worries me a little that you're so good at the spell which allows you to break into people's private rooms…" muttered Elphaba, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling Fiyero's feet into her lap. She fiddled with a loose thread at the hem of his jeans while waiting patiently for her friend to speak.

"Shush, you. You _know _I sucked at Sorcery…There was only a few spells I could manage. That one- anyway! This is not the point that I came to make, was it Meir? I was just wondering if you guys would like to come see my show tonight?" Glinda smiled, perching on the little armchair in the corner. Fiyero immediately turned the television off, his eyebrows raised incredulously.

"You have got to be joking!" he cried, leaning up onto his forearms. Meir immediately jumped in.

"Why would she be joking? I thought you two were supposed to be her friends?" said the blonde man hotly, his brows almost meeting in the middle.

"_Elphaba _is her friend. I sure as hell haven't forgiven her yet. I haven't even _begun _to-"

"Stop! Stop it, both of you!" Glinda cried, springing to her feet with a distraught expression. Elphaba nodded.

"Cool it with the testosterone, you two. Fiyero, calm down. You don't have to go if you don't want to. Meir…just lay off, okay? You have no right to go off at him in that way." The young woman stood and fixed Meir with a steely glare, her dark eyes narrowed threateningly. The Gillikinese man waited for a few moments, listening to an internal debate, before lowering his eyes and granting Elphaba the winner of the argument.

"I'm sorry."

Glinda rocked from side to side during the interim silence, tears threatening at the corners of her cerulean eyes. Elphaba crossed over to her and took one of her hands consolingly. She was going against all her principals in doing this, as well as ignoring the anger she still felt towards Glinda, but she decided that the happiness of her friend was more important than her own.

"I'll come to your show, my pretty. We could even go for dinner first, yes? These two can stay here and continue their animalistic brawls," smiled Elphaba, patting the cold hand within her own consolingly. Glinda seemed placated and her tears subsided, her usual dazzling smile immediately springing back to her face.

"I have no idea what an animalistic brawl is, but I'd rather not do it with Prince Popularity over there. I'm coming along too!" Meir interjected. This information made Glinda's smile widen.

"What about you, _Fiyero_?" she asked coldly, wrinkling her nose in distaste. The Prince raised his eyes warily to Elphaba's, who offered nothing but a half smile and a shrug.

"Fine! I'll come!" he muttered, his expression mutinous. Elphaba smirked, barely fighting the urge to faint again.

She had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

They strolled into the eating house with a heavy atmosphere; Glinda and Meir in front, holding hands, with Elphaba and Fiyero behind, _wanting _to hold hands. The place was the regulation emerald green, with green leather booths and Formica topped tables. The little troupe slid into one near the door, with Elphaba and Fiyero facing out towards the street.

"What're you having, my Fae?" Fiyero questioned, leaning his head on Elphaba's shoulder to peer into her menu. She blushed a little at the nickname, as well as the 'my' before it.

"Um…I'm not sure yet. I was thinking maybe the vegetarian lasagne…" she shrugged without even glancing at the menu. "What about yourself, Yero? I'll go and order."

"Chicken burger with fries and a diet soda, if you would be so kind."

"Glinda?"

"Chargrill chicken salad and a mineral water, please."

"Meir?"

"_Beef_ burger, _large _fries, onion rings, _large _**full sugar **soda." This was said with a pointed glance at Fiyero, who looked almost amused at the older man's attempts to outdo him. Elphaba chuckled a little.

"Alright. I'll be right back."

She made her way up to the counter, repeating the orders over and over again in her head so that she wouldn't forget them. In her inattention, she tripped over the spoked wheel of a wheelchair and tottered right into an oncoming waitress, thus causing hot soup to be spilled all over the person in the wheelchair and her companion. Elphaba's verdant hands flew to her mouth; wide open in shock; as the girl in the chair screeched in fury.

"I am so, so sorry!" she cried, scrabbling for something to mop the girl up with.

"Sorry? Look at my new dress! You have _ruined _it!" the other girl wailed, waving her arms around in a childish temper.

"Nessa, my girl…Come now, don't fret! We can easily buy you another dress. A better dress!" the man with her cooed, and Elphaba's stomach immediately twisted into a tight knot at the familiar voice that seemed to echo from a decade ago. He hadn't looked up yet, being much too focused on Nessarose, and Elphaba almost turned on her heel and fled from the shop. Just as she began to back away, the man raised his head and his eyes instantaneously widened. "You!" he cried, pointing a finger at her as though she were the devil himself.

"Me," she shrugged lamely, coming across a hundred times more brave than she felt. Her father's face seemed to turn a little purple.

"You died," he stated flatly, ignoring Nessa's confused and irritated whining. "You died in a tragic accident! You fell in the lake! I watched you drown and I couldn't help you!" he hissed, hate evident in his voice.

"No, dad, I didn't." Elphaba backed away 'til she reached her own table and held her hand out for Fiyero to take. Frex followed, leaving Nessa weeping behind him. He regarded the three bamboozled people at the table with surprise, before turning almost catatonic at the sight of Fiyero's hand _willingly _enclosed around Elphaba's.

"You accept her?" he quizzed, running a frenzied hand through his greying hair as he tried in vain to comprehend the matter. Glinda's lips pouted in mystification, Meir's brow furrowed and Fiyero's fingers tightened their grip: he was the only one who realised who this man was.

"Yes, we accept her," he stated, sliding out of the booth and wrapping a protective arm around Elphaba's almost unnoticeably shivering shoulders. The protective gesture did nothing to resolve the mystery for the other two.

"Who _is _this guy?" Glinda whined as Nessa wheeled herself up to them, tears from her tantrum still streaming down her pale, perfect cheeks. Frex glared up at colossal Fiyero, his breathing coming in sharp gasps. In all of his worst nightmares, he had never expected to see his oldest daughter again, never mind with people who seemed to her friends. Elphaba wrapped an arm around Fiyero's waist, steeling herself.

"Glinda, Meir, Yero, meet my little sister Nessarose and my father, Frex."

* * *

**Ooooh. Hiyaa :D **


	22. Come What May

**Hello! Happy Christmas! Did you all have a good one? I did! :) Ehm...Yeah, this is just a short chapter to tide you over until I next update. Thank you so much for all of your lovely reviews! :D**

**OH! By the way. Anyone who reads stories by my good friend x.**Meghan.x** , please don't expect any updates for at least two weeks, as she's on holiday and has limited internet access. Go and read what she _has _written, though. She's great!**

**Yes...enjoy this one. It's short, but that was the right place to end it. ;D**

* * *

A stunned silence fell, and Elphaba and Frex stared one another down. His green eyes - eyes that used to gaze adoringly at her with warmth and sincerity - connected with her own brown ones, and the only readable emotion in them was hatred. Fiyero's arms snaked tightly around Elphaba's waist and he glared at Frex with unguarded malice. Glinda clutched Meir's arm tightly, her nails digging into his flesh to stop herself sinking them into Frex's eye sockets. Nessarose turned between her father and sister in confusion.

"Dad?" she asked. "What's going on? What does she mean? Who _is _this?" The younger girl regarded Elphaba with eyes full of breathtaking coldness, which her older sister countered with a warm smile.

"Come now, Nessie. You were eight when I…left. Surely you can't have forgotten me?" she replied softly, sliding out of Fiyero's arms and kneeling down to Nessa's eye level.

"I don't remember you. There has only ever been dad, Shell and I," Nessa stated disdainfully. Another silence fell between the family, Frex's mouth opening and closing like a fish as he struggled for words.

"How did you…You _died_!" he exclaimed, wrinkling his nose in a perfect imitation of Elphaba - apparently, that was a learned habit of hers. The girl in question stood straight again, flattening her back against Fiyero's torso for comfort and a reassurance of her own strength.

"No, I didn't. You wanted me to; you made me wish I was! But I didn't, damn it. I survived and had to go and live with that _whore _Eissa-"

"How dare you use words such as these in front of your little sister? The Unnamed God does not approve, Elphaba!"

"So you remember who I am, then? The Unnamed God _never _approved once mum died. I know it was my fault, but it wasn't as though I crept into the room straight after Nessa was born and held a pillow over her face, was it?" she raged, curling her fingers into claws in preparation for them gauging chunks out of his face. Glinda and Nessarose gasped in unison, and the crippled girl burst into horrified tears.

"Come on, Fae…let's just go," Fiyero muttered, tugging Elphaba towards the door. She resisted forcefully, pushing him roughly away then storming back over to her father. The entire café was in a hush as they watched the drama unfolding; even the waitress who had watched the beginning with disapproval was now gaping with wide eyes - the coffee cup she was filling had overflowed, and the glass pot was empty. Elphaba strode up to her father with her jaw set, peering down her long nose at his smaller figure.

"You have no idea what you did to me," she spat, prodding him painfully in the sternum. He grimaced and leaned away. "You think that you're _Godly_…You're not! What you did was complete _evil_!" she screamed, her palm colliding sharply with his cheek. He reeled back in shock.

"I did what I did for the good of my** worthy** children. You were nothing but an abomination, an abnormality!" screeched Frex, lunging forward once more to slap Elphaba in return. As soon as his hand made contact with the soft skin of her face, a furious roar sounded from where Fiyero stood, and before Glinda, Elphaba or Meir could stop him, the prince had the older man pinned against the wall by his throat. Fiyero, being hugely tall, had lifted Frex right off his feet, leaving his short legs dangling a foot and a half above the floor.

"You never touch her again, you hear me?" he snarled, in a dangerously low voice. Frex gasped twice, unable to force words from his constricted larynx. "If you go within twenty miles of Elphaba again, I swear to _Oz _I will hunt you down and make your life a living hell!" Fiyero's fingertips tightened further around the throat they encased, and Frex gave an agonised splutter.

"Put him down, Yero." Elphaba's voice was hoarse as she approached and smoothed her hand over Fiyero's shoulder. He tore his gaze away from the man he held and peered down at her with mournful eyes.

"Fae…he tried to…If you had died, I don't know what I…Can you really forgive him?" the young man whispered, loosening his grip infinitesimally. The girl at his side shrugged.

"I don't know…but I can try. Let him go. _For me_," she murmured gently, and at her pleading gaze, Fiyero immediately let the former minister fall to the floor with a loud thud. Nessarose immediately began to scream shrilly, and Elphaba ran to comfort her. The younger girl shrugged her off and wheeled over to where her father lay. Glinda stared at Fiyero in wide eyed fear, and Meir regarded him warily. Elphaba, however, felt the urge to profess her love for him at the top of her lungs. She didn't, of course.

"You haven't heard the last of me, _Frexspar_," Fiyero shot, turning on his heel and striding from the little eating house, slamming the door as he went. Elphaba hurried after him, leaving the place in a stunned silence.

* * *

"Fiyero!" Elphaba called, running after the young man's rapidly disappearing form. He slowed and glanced over his shoulder, his livid face smoothing out slightly at the sight of the green girl.

"Elphaba, I am _so _sorry for all of that! I should have let you handle it yourself, but when he hit you, I just couldn't-" he gabbled, stopping dead and running an agonised hand through his hair, frustrated tears overflowing from his eyes. Elphaba nodded.

"Yes, you should have let me handle it myself," she agreed softly, thumbing the tears from his cheeks. "It was irrational, and that level of violence was _completely _uncalled for." Her chiding annoyed him, and he leaned away from her gentle touch.

"If you're just here to lecture me, you can go back to the café and face the bastard yourself," said Fiyero bitterly, and Elphaba shook her head sadly before placing her hand firmly back on his cheek.

"Shut up and listen to me," she ordered. Her tone made him crack a tiny smile - exactly what she had been aiming for. "Yes, it was stupid and unnecessary… But that has got to be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. You ridiculous, brainless man! Do you know how amazing it makes me feel to know you care _that much_? About me, of all people? All those times you looked ready to murder _me, _I never thought I'd see you go that far to protect me." Elphaba's dark eyes were sincere, and Fiyero brought his lips down upon hers tenderly.

"I'd do anything for you," he smiled gently, pushing back the remainder of his anger.

"Idiot. I wish you wouldn't say thing like that!"

"Why not?"

"It makes me want to say that I love you," she shrugged nonchalantly, rolling her eyes at the clichéd reply. Fiyero laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Feel free to say it. Who knows, I might even say it back!" he tested, suddenly finding himself yearning that she _would _say it. Elphaba wrinkled her nose.

"Don't you know that it's etiquette for the man to say it first?" she teased.

"I didn't know you were a traditionalist."

"Just because I'm not traditional in the physical sense doesn't mean I haven't had my conventional fantasy situations." They were walking now, hand in hand, nervous and excited and impatient: they couldn't wait for the words to be said, since it seemed they were coming. Fiyero's eyebrow rose at this admission.

"Elphaba Thropp had fantasies before I entered her life?" he joked, and Elphaba punched him lightly on the arm.

"Of course! They were just me being successful, though. Sometimes, when I was lying in the dark and I couldn't get to sleep…You'd come into my head, but I always tried to keep that part of me hidden away."

"What…the sexy thoughts part?" Fiyero chortled, eliciting a frowning blush from Elphaba.

"I suppose you could call it that. I'd figured that since no-one else was interested in my sexuality, I shouldn't be either, so I wasn't doing myself any good by indulging in any kind of thoughts that didn't include hating you. That sounds awful…but it wasn't just _those _thoughts I had to keep under control. One night, I had a dream that you told me that you were in love with me. It was just a calm, quiet little place and you just took my hand and said it. Needless to say, when I woke up I was completely traumatised and I deliberately put salt and ketchup in your coffee when we went out with Glinda," she chuckled malevolently, wicked joy spreading across her face at the memory.

"I'm interested," he whispered in a tone both suggestive and tender, choosing to ignore the harsh memory of salted tomato coffee. "I can't get the measure of you," he continued. "One minute you're pouncing on me and going all kinky, then the next you're blushing and stuttery and not like yourself at all. I wish I could tell what you're _thinking_!"

Elphaba slowed to a stop and leaned against the wall of the bridge they were crossing. The river sparkled below them, and the volume of traffic was uncharacteristically low for the time of evening.

"You know what I'm thinking," she smiled sadly, almost as though the thought pained her. "I love you." The young woman stood tall as she could, her hands shaking as the fateful words left her mouth. Fiyero smiled widely and kissed her ardently.

"That's good. I love you too," he smiled as he dropped his forehead to lean on hers, resting his hands on the small of her back to draw her closer.

"I'm glad to hear it, my sweet." Elphaba's smile was genuine and radiant as she reached up to cradle his face between her hands. He brushed his lips tenderly to her palm, and she chortled quietly.

"What're you laughing at?" Fiyero asked quietly, dropping his weight onto one foot and leaning his hip against the wall.

"You."

"Why?"

"You're amusing," shrugged Elphaba. "That's the only reason."

"I'm glad I entertain you so much, Fae!" He pouted to show he was jesting, but Elphaba's brow furrowed.

"Are you really going to keep calling me that?" she sighed. "I'm not beautiful, nor am I a goddess! I'm too rigid to qualify as a woman…hell, I don't think I would even call myself a person. I'm nothing," said she casually, mildly surprised at the scandalised expression that had appeared on Fiyero's face.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" he fumed, his eyes boring into her own. "Stop it! Stop making yourself out to be some kind of hideous monster. What do I have to _do _to-" Fiyero stopped and thought for a moment, before a twinkle appeared in his bright eyes.

Without warning, he seized her around the waist and tugged her flat against his body. He kissed her then, and his intention was clear. Elphaba grinned fiendishly as she pulled away, the troubles of the night temporarily forgotten.

"Get me back to that hotel, n_ow_," she commanded forcefully, and Fiyero's hopeful gaze turned wicked.

"You're wish is my command, Fae."

* * *

**Oh dear, what _are _they going to get up to? **

**And don't worry, this isn't the end of Elphie's family. **


	23. There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters

**Okay, so this is a sort of re-post...I published the last one in a hurry without reading over it, and when I finally DID, I had a little cringe to myself and decided to re-write some of it. I do apologise, but it was a awful, awkward and not thought out properly. Hopefully, this one will be better... Much is remaining the same, but much is changing. **

* * *

He was more than she had ever anticipated; sweet and strong, gentle but just a little rough, easily read but thoroughly secret. Elphaba's inexperience showed, and she was terrified that the fact she didn't know what to do would put him off. Instead of being put off by her naivety, Fiyero wordlessly showed her what to do without really intending to. He constantly checked that she was comfortable - to the point where Elphaba was almost beginning to get frustrated with him, but then he would move a certain way and any reprimands she could think of were drowned out by a gutteral groan from the back of her throat. As far as she was concerned, he was utterly glorious. Him and his hands and his eyes and his mouth and every tiny movement he made gave her even more reason to love than before.

Eventually, her legs tightened around his waist and he bit down on his bottom lip - their pace quickened, then slowed. Fiyero slumped, sweating, with his head resting heavily on Elphaba's shoulder. She took a gasping breath and kissed his forehead, smiling as he gently rolled away.

"Please don't make me be the woman here and demand the post-sex cuddle!" he pouted, holding his arms out with an almost shy grin. Willingly, Elphaba slid into his arms and relaxed into his embrace. His chest rose and fell quickly: the urgency of the last hour or so still pounded in his head.

"Well," Elphaba breathed, searching for words to match her feelings.

"Have I rendered you speechless, Miss Thropp?" Fiyero teased. "I never thought I'd see you at a loss for words. I really deserve so much credit for this," he laughed lightly, settling his hand in the crook of her knee and hooking her leg up over his hip. She squirmed a little closer and granted him a characteristic frown.

"I'm never at a loss for words," she retorted lamely. Fiyero laughed and kissed her deeply. "You're so typically male!" added Elphaba as his large hand began to wander up her thigh. He shrugged.

"Don't tell me you're not glad of it."

"I get more glad by the moment." She shuddered as he began to trace circles on the small of her back, and was surprised by her own lack of bashfulness as she lay undressed before him. He seemed happy to take in all her verdant glory, and wasn't at all abashed by the uninterrupted planes of green. She was equally as fascinated by the smooth expanse of olive skin, unblemished with an enviable natural tan, developed by spending twenty years in the deserts of the Vinkus.

"You seem to _fit _with me better than anyone else ever did," murmured Fiyero thoughtfully, images of countless other girls flitting across his mind. Elphaba's stomach dropped at the reminder that this would be nowhere **near **his first time, ergo nowhere near as special for him as it was for her. It wouldn't take half as much guts for him to lie around naked, whereas it took all her willpower not to get up and turn the lights out.

"Thank you for the unwelcome reminder that you're used to all of this," she spat, rolling over and reaching for the nearest item of clothing she could find: the Vinkun shawl. She had been wearing it while out with her friends, and in the frenzy it had ended up on the floor at her side of the bed. It was large enough for her to swathe herself in the silky cloth and tie it in a decided knot underneath her arm, suddenly feeling angry and hurt for no real reason. The fringing barley brushed the tops of her thighs, but it returned some of her abandoned modesty.

Fiyero sat up and watched her, his eyes wide with confusion. Her abruptly frosty demeanour surprised him, and for the first time in his life he felt rejected.

"What in Lurline's name are you talking about?" he quizzed, struggling to his feet and taking one tentative step towards her. She whirled around with angry eyes.

"You know fine well what it takes for me to be here with you like this. I'm still terrified that you'll see me in another way and go shooting off in horror. I don't need reminded that you've slept with the epitome of perfection like Glinda and Pfannee and Shenshen and thousands of nameless other girls! I feel like being with me, you're…I don't know- settling for second best. You're used to people seeing you this way, but I-"

"Do you remember the day we got to the city? I pointed out flaws that I see in myself. I didn't _care _about slobbing around with those other girls…But with you, I actually care what you think of me! I'm just as scared that you'll be repulsed by me as you are that I won't be able to look at you. You think it's easy to lie here, knowing about all the things that are wrong with me? I have never seen any girl as beautiful as you, Elphaba. Why would I lie? I wouldn't get anything out of it," Fiyero gabbled, gripping her by the shoulders and keeping his gaze locked resolutely with hers. "This is just as special for me as it is for you. It feels like it was my first time, and it might as well have been, because I have _never _felt like that with _anyone_. Can't you just accept that I love you, and that as far as I'm concerned there has never been nor will there ever be anyone else? Just stop being so stubborn and accept that I love you and you love me and nothing is going to change it, my chequered past included!" he fumed, and Elphaba's stiff posture slumped slightly.

"I think that's the most I have ever heard you say at one time," she laughed shakily, stroking one of the blue diamonds just above his heart. His skin was soft and warm. "I won't apologise for my insecurities, but it's comforting to know that you feel the same way." Elphaba wound her arms around Fiyero's neat waist and dropped a soft series of kisses down his sternum. Even with her eyes closed, his unending beauty baffled, frightened and enthralled her.

"If it's any consolation," she murmured, "I think you're absolutely exquisite, so there's no need to worry about what I think when I look at you." Fiyero rested his cheek on the top of her head and exhaled slowly, squinting out of his lopsided eyes to peer at his ridiculously long nose (in his opinion).

"Well, I think you need your eyes tested," he grinned. "But thanks." He stroked the silk shawl at the small of her back. "I think you should take that thing off and come back to bed," Fiyero added cheekily, and Elphaba laughed quietly.

"Come _back _to bed?" She raised her eyes to fix him with an amused stare. "I'm barely out of the bed in the first place," she grinned, leading him by the hand to perch on the edge of the soft mattress. Fiyero settled himself at her side and brushed a strand of flyaway hair out of her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he queried softly, searching her eyes for any sign of discomfort. Elphaba smiled serenely at him, her dark eyes sparkling.

"Of course, my Yero. I'm just fine. This is the calmest I've ever felt around you. It's like the big bubble of tension we've been living in for two years has finally popped - it's so nice to be able to just _sit _like this. I don't regret it either, if that's what you meant," she intoned gently, shuffling backward to lean against the pillows. She ignored the dull ache in her legs - it was worth the pain, and she was a bit of a masochist anyway. A pleasant, heavy tiredness was beginning to overwhelm her, leaving her mind closed to deep conversations. Fiyero crawled sit cross legged beside her, drawing a pillow into his lap to assuage his embarrassment at being so very nude.

"That's actually not entirely what I meant, sweetheart. I was thinking more of…well, your dad?" said Fiyero tentatively, pulling Elphaba's slim legs into his lap to rub her calves. She moaned a little as he worked out the tension in her muscles, then sighed deeply.

"Oh, him? I'm alright. I'm more annoyed that Nessa's pretending not to remember me."

"Yeah, you're not exactly easy to forget."

"We'll have less of your sass, please! But yes, you're quite right. It's impossible for her to have forgotten that I ever existed. Shell, I could allow it, but not Nessarose. I practically raised her! No…he's done something. Brainwashed her."

"Is he capable -"

"You're actually asking that question?" Elphaba cackled incredulously, and Fiyero tutted at his own stupidity. "Of course he's capable of brainwashing. Either that or Nessa just doesn't _want _to remember."

"Selective amnesia?" he suggested dryly, kneading her left calf firmly as he spoke. Elphaba chuckled despite her irritation at her young sister.

"It would seem so, my love," she said softly as she slid further into the pillows, allowing Fiyero a better angle for his activities with her legs. She ignored the shawl as it slipped down her torso and settled lazily around her slim hips. "I don't feel much like discussing them at the moment, though. Just keep doing what you're doing, and you never know where it'll get you," she added with a flirtatious wink. Fiyero grinned and set about his work with added gusto.

* * *

"Why does that girl _never _answer her phone?" Glinda seethed, stabbing at the disconnect button furiously with her long index finger. Meir perched on the edge of her dressing table and picked up her blusher brush, sweeping it slowly back and forth over the back of his hand in amusement.

"Glinda, relax!" he laughed lightly, leaning across to plant a kiss on the top of her head. "You're staying in her hotel, remember? You can easily pop up to see her!" He smiled blithely and thrust the brush at her face, landing a huge pink dot in the middle of her forehead. Glinda frowned and batted him away.

"I don't want to see Fiyero. If I'd known he was capable of nearly _killing _a guy I would never have…" she trailed off and bit her lip worriedly, using a make-up wipe to dab at the splotch Meir had created.

"He only did it for her," the man countered, taking the wipe from her hands and tenderly rubbing the mark from her head. "I'll admit he's a complete headcase, but it was brave nonetheless. I still don't know what that Munchkin man _did _to Elphaba to make Fiyero act that way. Was it just because he slapped Elphaba?"

"No. Frex was very cruel to Elphie many years ago, but that's all I can really tell you. If I didn't have my head screwed on the right way, I'd have punched that stupid little man myself; I've never seen Fiyero like that. It was scary," she shuddered, and brought his hand to her lips. Meir smiled fondly as she kissed his fingers.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Before Glinda could call for the person to enter her dressing room, the door had opened and none other than Nessarose wheeled herself in with a self important sniff.

"You are Glinda-Daisy Noble, correct?" she said in a highly imperious voice. Glinda nodded once, her pouted lips parting in surprise and confusion. Nessarose wrinkled her nose and continued. "I understand that you are a friend of my…sister." She said the word with quiet awe, and something that almost resembled a smile. It seemed as though a distant memory was coming to the forefront of her mind, and her fine features softened infinitesimally.

"My name is actually Glinda Upland," Glinda corrected, standing up to cross closer to Nessarose. "Glinda-Daisy Noble is my stage name. But yes, I'm Elphie's _best _friend," she smiled proudly.

"Do you know where I can find her?" the young girl asked, holding herself with an unyielding posture that mirrored Elphaba's when she was incensed about something. Meir permitted himself to raise an eyebrow: despite not knowing the family history, this did _not _seem normal. Glinda, however, carried smoothly on without a further blink of confusion.

"Of course dear! She's staying in the Palace Hotel in Treefa Gardens; you just go down onto the main boulevard and take that one road the whole time!" she beamed, aching for the old golden curls that she could toss - this would have been the perfect opportunity. Nessarose nodded stiffly and made to exit, but Meir spoke up.

"Glinda, honey, you're in that hotel too. Why not just take Miss Thropp with you when you leave?" he suggested casually. His girlfriend smiled at the girl in the wheelchair, but the brunette girl simply shook her head dismissively.

"Daddy will be back from midnight prayers soon, and he can't find out that I left to come and see you," she whispered, casting her eyes skywards as though expecting a bolt of lightening from the Unnamed God to strike her dead for her sins. Hushing her voice further, she added, "It's only because of Shell - my little brother - that I even knew where to come. He's sixteen now, and there was an advert for this place on the television in our room. He was almost drooling on the floor, and I recognised you right away as El…Elpha…Elphaba's friend."

It was slightly pathetic, the way the girl had to grapple with her memory for the name of the sister who had taken care of her for years. However, when the pretty name reached her perfect lips, a small smile followed in its wake. It was as though Nessarose had been spoiled and mollycoddled her whole life - made demanding and falsely pious - and yet there was still a glimmer of goodness that shone through the selfish exterior when she remembered the person who had been unfailingly kind to her so many moons ago.

"I'll have to leave now to make it back before he sees that I've gone. I told Shell if he told on me I'd tell dad that he wasn't watching the prayers channel, so he's keeping his mouth shut while I'm here. I'll try and see Fabala tomorrow," she said more to herself than anyone as she wheeled towards the door. Glinda smiled as the girl automatically slid into the pet name for her sister, and felt a gush of affection for the stiff, cold girl.

Once Nessarose was gone (she informed them that there was a taxi waiting for her outside, specially fitted with a wheelchair ramp and an extra fast engine to get her to her hotel quickly), Glinda tried to phone Elphaba again to tell her the turn of events.

"It's no use," she muttered savagely, tugging on her coat and hooking her arm with Meir's as they left through the back door of the club. "I'm just going to have to go and see her."

"What about Fiyero?" the blonde man asked tensely, tugging the young woman a little closer as they walked. Glinda shrugged.

"Elphie will probably be in a rage with him anyway. She hates people to fight her battles for her, and he might even already be on his way back to Shiz with his tail between his legs. If I know Elphaba Thropp, she'll have cursed him from here to next week."

* * *

Elphaba groaned and snuggled closer to Fiyero's back, automatically draping an arm over his body and settling her hand on his flat stomach. In his sleep, his larger hand slid to cover her own, and the green woman permitted a sleepy smile to steal across her face.

"I love you," she whispered to the large diamond between his shoulder blades, laying her cheek against it to feel the warmth of his skin and the echo of his heartbeat. The prince shifted a little and the muscles of his back rippled slightly, bringing back intense memories that made Elphaba's legs begin to ache again in a very agreeable fashion.

The activities of earlier came back to her mind; she blushed a little at the recollection. Fiyero turned in his sleep and lay with his forehead touching hers, their pyjama clad legs twining a little tighter together (in case of any more incidents of Glinda using her little spell, they had agreed to dress a little more suitably for late night visitors). She smiled again and kissed the tip of his nose, an action so foolish and sentimental she would never be caught doing it while he was awake.

Something began to trouble the young man in her arms as he slept, and his grip around her waist tightened. He pulled her so close she could barely breathe, and he muttered her name frantically under his breath. Gently, Elphaba eased herself out of his vice grasp to smooth a hand across his forehead, chanting a little charm that would lift the nightmare. It worked a treat, and Fiyero relaxed again with his head laid on her shoulder. Elphaba nuzzled her nose into his feathery hair and closed her eyes, easily drifting back off to sleep.

"Elphieee! Glinda squealed as she burst into the hotel room a short while later, proud of remembering the unlocking spell twice in a row. "You're never going to believe what's happened!" Elphaba and Fiyero stirred slightly, but only the green girl cocked open one weary eye to look at her friend.

"Oh, hello," she croaked, disentangling her limbs and sitting up straight. She rubbed her eyes and yawned widely, stretching up then wincing in pain as her sore shoulder nudged the headboard. "What won't I believe?" questioned Elphaba, squinting slightly as Glinda turned on the overhead light. The tall woman's brow furrowed as she surveyed the room, "What's he doing here?" was the only response she got, and Elphaba pursed her lips.

"He's my friend, that's all," she lied. "He was upset at his own behaviour, I was upset that dad turned up - go figure. It was just nice to have some company. Sorry we missed your show, by the way." Elphaba's tone turned apologetic, but Glinda waved it off with an accommodating smile.

"Crappified crowd tonight anyway," muttered the Gillikinese woman as she strolled towards the bed, her gaze settling on the silk shawl draped over the end.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Elphaba queried rigidly, pulling the cuffs of her pyjama top further over her hands - an automatic defence mechanism. Glinda grinned wider and picked it up with one finger.

"Company, huh?" she sniggered wickedly. "You didn't did you?"

"Did I - what?"

"Did you sleep with him?"

"_**Oz **_no!" Elphaba whisper-screeched, making a show of disgust so convincing that Glinda mostly bought it; or at least, she let the matter drop. Fiyero snuffled a little in his sleep, but still stubbornly refused to wake.

"What is it that I won't believe?" Elphaba asked after a short pause, which saw Glinda staring at the pattern on the shawl so hard she was certain that the bright red roses would be forever imprinted on her retinas. It took her a moment, but Glinda eventually glanced up with a hesitant smile.

"Nessarose is coming to visit you tomorrow," she muttered quickly, almost afraid of her friend's reaction. Elphaba's heart stuttered, but she kept her face impassive.

"Oh, is that so?" said Elphaba. "How nice. Did she give you a time?"

"Please don't bottle all this up, Elphie!" Glinda pleaded. "She just turned up out of the blue - said she would come and see you tomorrow."

"She didn't give a time then? How vexing - perhaps I should get up early and bake a cake."

"If you won't open up to me, then at least open up to Fiyero!"

Elphaba muttered something under her breath and rested her hand on Fiyero's shoulder. Glinda frowned again then yawned widely.

"Thought you oughta know," she shrugged dejectedly, tossing down the shawl and crossing back to the door. Just as she was leaving, Elphaba felt bad for her attitude.

"Glin…thanks," she smiled, and Glinda grinned in reply.

"Not at all, Elphie."

Elphaba lay back down and huddled into Fiyero's chest. So Nessarose was coming to visit?

This did not bode well.

* * *

**Edited. The first one was just...yeah. NOT realistic. Although not much has changed, I think it is both better and worse than the last one. Sorry. :\ **


	24. Fiyero's Jokes Get You Nowhere

**That last chapter sucked. Um…yes. I'm thinking the story will draw to a close in a few chapters (maybe). I've got a new obsession with 'A Little Night Music', so there's a teeny mention of one of the songs in here, in one of Elphaba's lines of dialogue. I wonder if anyone will find it? **

**Thank you to all my reviewers, by the way! Especially my 200****th****, DorothyInWonderland! Um…yes. That is all. **

**OH! ONE MORE THING! You know the new Disney movie, 'Tangled'? I think Flynn Rider looks a bit like how I imagine the Fiyero in this story. He's quite a hottie. **

**(I genuinely feel like a failure after that last chapter. *facepalm*)**

**

* * *

**

"You'd better get out of here," Elphaba yawned, tugging the duvet away from Fiyero and sitting upright, stretching her arms high above her head. The late morning sun peeped through a gap in the curtains, and the prince raised his arm to shield his eyes from the glare.

"Why? I'm perfectly comfortable, thanks very much," he muttered, curling into a tight ball in an attempt to reclaim some of the warmth of sleep that Elphaba had so unceremoniously pilfered from him. After a moment of silence, Fiyero cracked open one eye and looked at her warily.

"And you're looking at me like a frightened rabbit _because_?" she queried.

"I'm not just going to be a booty call to you, am I?" he squeaked, struggling to his knees - his gaze was comically worried. Elphaba gave a single hoot of laughter and reached over to ruffle his hair.

"Of course not!" she grinned, rolling her eyes affectionately. "But my sister is coming over at some point, and I'd rather not have her find me in bed with a half naked man," the green woman explained patiently, but comprehension refused to dawn on Fiyero's face.

"Your sister?" He quirked his head to the right, a slight pout appearing on his lips and a tiny furrow between his eyebrows - he was very confused.

"Yes, my sister." Elphaba reeled off the events of Glinda's visit the night before, and Fiyero eventually began to nod along in understanding.

"I guess I can understand. I was scared you were just going to send me off with a wave of your hand then never call…" he murmured sadly, leaning across to rest his head on her shoulder. Elphaba rolled her eyes, less affectionately this time, and she prodded him hard in the side.

"You're more than just a fumble and a tumble in the sheets, Yero," she snapped harshly, contradicting her tone with a gentle kiss to the top of his head. The young man smiled gratefully and replied with by tenderly brushing his lips to the underside of her jaw: a loving gesture, rather than a seductive one.

"I'm glad," Fiyero muttered, nuzzling his face into the verdant column of Elphaba's neck and closing his eyes for some more sleep. Elphaba chuckled and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.

"You can be _such _a girl sometimes!" she accused flatly. Fiyero's normally immaculately straightened hair had become rumpled and wavy from sleep (and their other activities), and Elphaba wound a few dark strands around her bony finger.

"I'm not **that **much of a girl," the young man huffed, his voice slightly muffled against the fabric of her long sleeved pyjama top. "I would have thought my manliness would be in no question now."

"Your _anatomy _might be male, and parts of your mind might be driven by male thoughts: but the fact that **you're **the one cuddling up to **me**, and the fact that you think I'm going to send you off with a '_wham bam thank you ma'am_' attitude does lend itself to a more feminine psyche," retorted Elphaba, a fiendish snigger pulling at her lips. Fiyero was quiet for a moment as he considered an impressive rejoinder, but nothing overly witty or scathing came to him.

"Shut up," he muttered bitterly, rolling over and clambering out of bed. Elphaba watched as his lean body stretched out the kinks of sleep, and she couldn't help but smile as he turned to face her again with his hair flopping into his eyes.

"What are you grinning at?" he asked, scanning the room for his pile of clothes. The green girl poked her tongue out playfully.

"You."

"Me?"

"You."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Looking at you makes me smile," she shrugged quietly, almost shyly.

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" Fiyero quizzed, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards.

"I haven't decided yet," replied Elphaba mysteriously. The prince raised an eyebrow and tossed himself over the footboard of the bed, crawling on all fours 'til his face was barely an inch from hers.

"Better be a compliment," he said quietly, letting his lips glide across hers teasingly. Elphaba restrained a shudder, but couldn't bring herself to look away from his eyes. Instead, she allowed her fingers to dance along his spine, gently grazing her nails into the soft flesh there.

"I-"

Three loud raps on the door made him draw away, and Elphaba immediately flailed her legs and flipped him off the bed and onto the floor.

"Get under the bed!" she hissed, leaping to her feet and doing her best to roll him out of sight, grateful of the valance that veiled the cavity between the bed and the floor. Another three knocks, harder this time, and Elphaba quickly hurried to open the door.

* * *

Nessarose regarded her sister warily, like a stray animal being offered a scrap of food by a human: unsure whether to trust or not. They simply stared at one another for a moment, until Elphaba moved aside and allowed Nessarose to enter the hotel room. The younger girl gazed around at her sisters belongings; some clothes (mostly black and loose fitting), a pair of high heeled boots, a silk shawl slung over the end of the bed, a single bottle of perfume on the dressing table and a pile of books that gave off the aura of having been read more than a hundred times. There were other bits and bobs that showcased Elphaba's personality, but the severe way that she held herself was enough to tell Nessarose that she was possibly the most serious person she would ever meet.

The green woman peered at her sister over the tops of her glasses, exaggerating the length of her nose. From the younger girl's perspective, Elphaba's nose and chin looked like they could slice salami with their sharpness. Her eyes gave the impression of steely strength, passion and an insight into the odd way in which she viewed the world. She exuded a wiseness beyond her years. Her mouth was nice, though. Her hair, too.

Elphaba examined her sister at the same time as she was being appraised, and was pleased at how beautifully she had turned out. Beautiful skin, sparkling eyes - a little cold, perhaps, but that was down to Frex spoiling her, nothing else - a pretty little mouth, shiny hair. Elphaba couldn't fault her appearance, so she turned her head to smile at her sister.

"You're quite pretty when you smile," Nessarose blurted suddenly, immediately noticing how the easy grin took away the harsh points of Elphaba's nose and chin; she realised they hadn't been as sharp as she had thought in the first place. The woman in question flushed a little and waved her hand in protest.

"I'm sure you didn't come to discuss my looks, Nessarose," she said gently, her voice taking on a soft quality that it rarely ever used. The other girl blushed prettily and looked at her hands.

"No…Elphaba, you're quite right. I didn't. I came here to discuss what in the name of Munchkinland went on at that restaurant last night." Nessarose raised her eyes to meet Elphaba's, and tried to silently plead with her sister not to tell her anything upsetting. The older woman pursed her lips and sat carefully on the edge of the unmade bed.

"Which part? If it's about me paying for the dress that I spilt soup on, I'll do my best, but I'm not exactly well off," said Elphaba flatly, taking in the attire of her sister, which was so much better than her own. Nessarose looked scandalised.

"I'm not here about _money_!" she cried, raising a hand to her heart as though mortally offended. "I'm here about the fact that I lived for **ten years **thinking that my sister was either dead or a figment of my imagination! Eventually, I almost forgot I even _had _a sister, because dad was adamant that you had never existed. He told me that I had made you up - he said that there was no way anyone could be born with green skin."

"And yet here I am," Elphaba smiled grimly, waving her arms in a pantomime of celebration.

"Indeed. _Here you are_. I'm so utterly confused," Nessa continued. "And who was that thug who almost strangled dad? He's surely not a friend of yours, is he?"

Elphaba bristled. "That _thug _happens to be one of the most wonderful things on the planet," she retorted hotly, and a tiny grin appeared on Nessa's face not dissimilar to the one Glinda often wore.

"Are you in love with him?" she asked quietly, her grin growing to so wide it rivalled Glinda's "I-Already-Know-The-Answer-But-I-Want-You-To-Tell-Me-So-I-Can-See-The-Look-On-Your-Face" smile. Elphaba pursed her lips again and internally cursed herself: why could everyone see that she was in love with him? Everyone else had known it before she did!

"Of course I'm not," she said lightly, raising her voice a little for the benefit of Fiyero under the bed. Nessarose seemed caught between a smile and a grimace.

"Does he know?"

"Of course he doesn't," Elphaba said more heavily, and Nessarose chose to smirk conspiratorially. She knew her sister would catch on to her lies - it was almost banter.

"Well, I'm no expert, but I think he's in love with you too." She paused to think for a moment, then rearranged her expression into one of suitable outrage. "He attacked our father!" she cried, tossing her arms in the air. It was Elphaba's turn to grimace.

"You have no idea what he did to me, do you?" she sighed, kicking her legs up onto the bed and leaning on her side.

"Who? Father or that brute - Yero, was it?"

"_Fiyero_. Yero is my nickname for him. But no, I don't mean Fiyero, I mean your dad."

"**Our **dad."

"No, certainly not mine. Not after what he did. If only you knew, Nessa!" said Elphaba, casting her eyes towards the ceiling, hoping that her sister wouldn't ask.

She did, of course.

"I can only know if you tell me," she said frankly, her expression turning expectant. Elphaba frowned and sat up poker straight, folding her gangly legs - they were unusually long, for belonging to a short person - and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Nessa, if I tell you… You'll either hate me, which I don't want, or you'll hate your father, which I don't want. He may have been sick and cruel to _me_, but he's been nothing but kind to you and Shell. Oz, Shell! How is he?" Elphaba asked eagerly, her enthusiasm so great it made Nessarose forget about her own question for a moment.

"Sixteen," she replied dryly. "What more can I say? You'd never know he was raised to fear and worship the Unnamed God. He's utterly girl crazy! He sneaks out in the middle of the night to go to parties. He doesn't care for his schoolwork, he bought himself a pair of _skin tight white trousers and a red waistcoat_, for Heaven's sake!" Nessarose looked devastated by this particular piece of information, and began to fan herself with one long, pale hand. Elphaba heard Fiyero give a snort of laughter, but covered it up with a cough of her own - Nessarose didn't seem to have noticed.

"I take it you don't approve of him, then?" Elphie snickered with a small snigger.

"Don't tell me that _you _approve of such behaviour?" Nessarose cried in obvious disgust.

"It doesn't especially bother me. I think you'll find that under all of the bravado, he's an intelligent, caring, brave young man. Just give it time - something will crop up to make him change his mind," she smiled warmly, thinking of the person who proved the idea right, cleverly stowed a few feet from her.

Underneath the bed, Fiyero's chest swelled with pride as he recognised that Elphaba was inadvertently praising him. He was also pleased that his great taste in fashion had rubbed off on someone else. Nessarose, however, didn't look convinced that her brother would turn into anything more than some sort of demon that would go straight to hell.

"Anyway," the girl said, her tone businesslike once more. "What did dad do? You have _got _to tell me, Fabala."

"It'll kill you if I tell you," Elphaba muttered, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose again, harder this time. She didn't want to tell Nessarose, because the girl would probably die of shame knowing that her father was such a horrid man.

"Tell me." Nessarose's commanding tone reminded Elphaba somewhat of herself, and recognised that her younger sister possessed some of the inner strength she herself relied on so heavily.

Hesitantly, Elphaba explained the whole ordeal that Frex had put her through - from the chores, the hours locked in darkness, the verbal beatings, the _physical _beatings - right through until the very last night. The green girl avoided Nessa's face the whole time she spoke, almost afraid to see what her reaction would be. When it came to the point of their father dragging her to the car, Elphaba drew a shuddering breath and shook her head.

"And the rest is history," she muttered feebly, unwilling to torment her sister with any more of the gruesome facts. Elphaba finally raised her eyes to meet those of Nessarose, and she saw that the blue eyes had dropped their coldness and were now filled with distressed tears.

"Please, tell me what he did to you," Nessa begged in a whisper, leaning forward with her hands held out imploringly. Elphaba shook her head.

"You should be getting back. He'll be back from…wherever he was," she said dismissively, moving to wheel Nessarose to the door. The younger girl was having none of it.

"I will **not **be treated like a child, Elphaba!" she screeched, jamming her hand down on the little brake so that she couldn't be moved. "Dad and Shell have gone to some sports game - trying to 'bond'. They know I'm not interested in sports - **so they left me in the hotel to **_**pray**_." As Nessarose snarled the final phrase, it became clear that whatever her beliefs, religion had been somewhat forced upon her, and there was a part of her that resented her father no matter how much he had spoiled her.

"I am _not _leaving this room until you tell me what our dad did to you!"

Elphaba lost her patience completely and let out a scream of impatience. "He tossed me into lake Illswater and **left me to drown**! He threw me into the deep part and stood and _watched _while I screamed for help!" she screeched harshly. "Are you _happy_? Does it make you feel better to know what happened to me?"

Her chest seemed to implode in on itself as a torrent of noisy tears began to stream their way down Nessa's pale cheeks. Elphaba hurried to toss her arms around her sister; an action only she could appreciate the enormity of, as she never had been a very effusive person. Nessarose flopped forward to sob into Elphaba's pyjama clad shoulder, disgust and hatred for everyone and everything seeping into her heart.

"You're lying!" she whispered, and it was clear that she was trying to convince herself…and yet somehow she couldn't. She believed what Elphaba had said, even though it went against her deepest instincts towards their dad.

"Please, Nessie, just believe that I'm lying," Elphaba begged into her sister's hair. "It would be so much easier for you. Maybe in time you could forgive me… If you believe that I'm telling the truth, I don't know if I can deal with the idea that you hate him. He's sick in the head - perhaps he can be cured?"

"I hardly even know you and I can tell that your problem is that you have to see the good in _everyone_!" Nessarose muttered disdainfully, pulling away to look at her green sibling with bloodshot eyes. "Not everyone is _**good**_, Elphaba! Some people are just plain wicked! What he did to you was evil - it even says so in the Oziad!"

"But Nessa, everyone must have some good in them somewhere. It's just part of us as human beings to have faults, but-"

"My _God_, how can you spout such utter nonsense, even when you seem so worldly wise? There is no such thing as goodness in everyone!" Nessarose cried, feeling her heart being dashed further to pieces every time she thought of her despicable father. Elphaba gave in and shook her head sadly, chucking Nessa under the chin.

"Whatever you like, my pretty," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry that you made me tell you that. Perhaps we'll see eye to eye one day," added Elphaba, with a quick glance at he sparkling silver shoes her sister wore: they were reminiscent of a pair of costume princess shoes taken from the toy box of a four year old girl. Nessarose saw the fleeting look, but made nothing of it and nodded instead.

"Perhaps we will. I'm sure one day we'll be alright, but for now…I just want to go and sit somewhere. Quietly. On my own," she said, and Elphaba nodded her understanding.

* * *

Just as Nessarose went to leave, fully equipped with Elphaba's mobile phone number and address (her dorm at Shiz) in the case of emergency, the younger girl's eyes gravitated towards a pair of faded blue jeans, bright red t-shirt, black zipper and startlingly white trainers. She wheeled towards them, and Elphaba's heart immediately leapt to her mouth. Fiyero's clothes.

"These shoes are a bit big for you, aren't they?" Nessarose said flatly, regarding them with an upturned nose. "And bright red isn't exactly your colour, dear sister," she added, with just a touch of venom which Elphaba felt she fully deserved: she _had _just sent her sister's entire world crumbling around her pretty little ears.

"Of course, Nessie," the older woman said with an obviously forced smile. "They're not mine. Fiyero left them behind when we traded rooms."

"You traded rooms?"

"Yes. I don't see the justification for the disgusted look you're giving me."

"You mean a _boy _has slept in that bed? You're sharing the same _sheets_?"

"Not exactly, dearie. The sheets **were **changed for the switch. And Fiyero's not a boy-" Elphaba sniggered, reflecting on her conversation with the person in question just a short time ago. "He's all man." The green woman cringed at her own hideous turn of phrase, but was startled out of her mind by a blatant guffaw, apparently issued by the mattress.

"Shit!" the mattress muttered, followed by another string of curse words as it realised it had spoken the previous aloud. Nessarose's eyes immediately narrowed, and Elphaba saw that the game was lost. She sighed heavily and called for Fiyero to come out. He did so in his own comical way, poking his head out and smiling sweetly by way of apology for disturbing their conversation.

"Come on, you," said Elphaba, stooping down and holding out a hand for Fiyero to grab so she could help him to his feet. The prince dusted himself off and proffered an elegant bow in Nessa's direction.

"Miss Thropp," he said in his most dashing Prince Charming voice. "Do forgive me for intruding on your personal conversation. I assure you I had my ears covered the entire time. And my eyes. And my mouth, for good measure. Well, until the end. I apologise for the bad language as well, Miss Nessarose," he added with a genuinely concerned bite of his lip. Nessarose appraised him warily, taking in his diamonded chest, lightly tan skin, dark hair and cheekily glinting eyes; she couldn't help but crack a tiny smile.

"Not to worry," she said, waving her hands. "I'm not staying, though. I have no desire to know what in the name of Oz you were doing under that bed, nor do I want to know why you are half dressed or why you were obviously sleeping with my sister!" A bright blush crept to her cheeks, as the innocent girl really _had _meant sleeping.

"Nessa!" Elphaba cried, and Fiyero released another guffaw of laughter.

"Promise you won't tell Glinda?" he winked, looping an arm around the green woman and planting a kiss on her temple. Nessa's blush faded and she instead paled to a colour that reminded one of Gillikinese snow before anyone had stepped in it and ruined it.

"I had meant sleeping as in slumbering," she snapped, "but you two obviously had more wicked things on your mind. Goodbye!"

Without further ado, she wheeled herself to the door, opened it with great difficulty yet much dignity and slammed it - rather feebly - behind her.

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**Whooops. Caught. **


	25. Glinda Can't Change Her Spots

**The authoress cannot be bothered to insert a pathetic attempt at wit into her note today, so she is simply going to thank the five people that reviewed the last chapter, tilt her head enquiringly at the other twelve regular reviewers who failed to materialise for the last chapter, and request that readers review this chapter. **

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"Come on, Fae! You've got to talk to me sometime!" Fiyero pleaded with his hands clasped in front of him. Elphaba was resolutely ignoring him, apparently oblivious to his constant whining. She had endured it for an hour, and still no cracks showed in her stiff resolve to give him the permanently cold shoulder after putting her relationship with Nessarose onto an even rockier track.

"How was I supposed to know she meant sleeping as in Catching Z's? You know fine well I'm not the shiniest crayon in the shed," he whinged. Deliberately, he mixed up the idioms to try and garner a reaction from the woman; she may as well have been carved from green marble, because she had hardly even blinked or taken a breath since Nessarose had gone, and this conscious blunder still drew no flicker from her.

"Do you want me to beg? Is that it? Go down on my hands and knees and _beg_?" Fiyero tried, collapsing (rather painfully) onto his knees and gazing up at the young woman with such a mournful expression she couldn't help but cast her coppery eyes in his direction.

Elphaba's reply was stiff and laced with ice. "I don't think we require those measures **quite **yet. Stop being so melodramatic and get up."

"Hurrah!" Fiyero cried. "The fine Lady speaks!"

"_Get up_." Her command was strict, and left no room for negotiation. Fiyero did as he was told, amazed at how someone almost (if not at least) a foot smaller than him could make him feel just about as big as a field mouse. Elphaba glowered up at him with her mouth pinched into a fierce line and her eyes as guarded as they used to be when they argued - never a good sign.

"I can't tell what you're thinking," he muttered, staring at his feet and shifting his weight nervously. "Those barrier things have gone up around your eyes again. It's not fair to do that to me, not when I was just learning how to read you!"

Elphaba's brows shot up alarmingly quickly.

"It's not fair to not let you see what I'm thinking? We can't all show off every emotion we ever have, Fiyero. Especially not someone like me, who could be hurt by the things she reveals to people. And _I'm _not being fair? Your stupid remarks have probably lost the last shred of respect I could ever hope to get from my sister. Someone who looks like me, with skin this colour, can't be respe-"

Fiyero cut her off with a suddenly piercing stare. "You know, Elphaba, for someone who claims she doesn't care about appearances or the way she looks, you spend an awful lot of time waffling on about this _skin _of yours. I think you care much more for superficial things than you'd like to admit," he said staunchly, and she folded her arms as though to block his invasive comments.

"You don't have a clue what you're talking about," she snapped, turning to walk away from him. Fiyero grabbed her wrist instead, gripping it so tightly it almost hurt.

"Oh, don't I? Well, I think you'll find that you let slip a lot of those _emotions _of yours just through what you say, how you move… I don't even know why you're bothered! It's just skin, Elphaba!" he cried, winding his fingers through hers to show the contrast in tone. "We all have it. We all have different colours; so what?"

Elphaba stayed silent, looking at their entwined hands.

"You think you're the only person who has to fight for respect out there? Put that brilliant brain of yours into action and _think_… How many people with skin the same colour as mine did you ever see at Shiz before I arrived?" Fiyero questioned darkly, and Elphaba raised her eyes to meet his.

"Not one. You were the first Vinkun I had ever met. Apparently, you're only the third in two hundred years to every actually attend Shiz."

"Exactly. Munchkinlanders and Gillikinese people have that milky white skin you envy so much in Glinda. Quadlings are almost red, and Vinkuns are darker still - I'm one of the palest varieties, we can get as black as coal in some tribes. But I'm still recognisable as _foreign_. Why do you think I had to build up that horrendible reputation for myself? Do you think I actually enjoyed it?" He laughed derisively, and brought Elphaba's hand to rest on his still bare chest.

"You mean…if people knew who you were, and knew that other people liked you, they'd end up liking you too?" Elphaba sighed, finally recognising why Fiyero understood her so inexplicably well.

"Exactly. And if I had a reputation to hide behind, no-one in this city or Shiz or Munchkinland or anywhere else would stop to realise that I wasn't from where they are."

"People still call you Winkie."

"They call you Artichoke, too. There are some things you just can't escape, Fae. Stop seeing it as a negative thing and start making the most of it! Your skin is unique - why not take advantage of it? There's a whole _city _practically named for you already; it may as well have been built in your honour. Don't let people put you down, because it's beautiful. They're just jealous that they're all the same. Look at Glinda and Meir - if she had had normal hair they could be bookends!"

Elphaba reached up to kiss him then, her free arm swinging up to wrap around his neck. She kissed him deeply, her lips breaking free to brush caressing kisses over every inch of his face.

"Why won't I let myself stay angry at you?" she muttered in obvious distaste against his earlobe, nipping at the flesh a little harder than necessary with her perfectly white teeth. Fiyero laughed a little, ignoring the slight throbbing pain in his ear as Elphaba continued her caresses.

"It's because I always know what to say," he grinned, and the moment was interrupted by her incredulous snort. She pulled away to half glare, half snigger up at him.

"I think this whole debacle started off because you _clearly _**don't** alwaysknow what to say."

"You do have a point. I'm sorry, about what I said to Nessarose. I really thought she meant sex," he shrugged apologetically, and this time Elphaba nodded.

"Your apology is accepted. It's not me you have to grovel to now - it's her! I have her mobile number, so I may well just text her and ask her to come over so that you can apologise and tell her that-"

"Yes, I did make love to her wonderfully beautiful sister, but we're in love, so it's all good and could she please refrain from hating on said sister since she is well over the age of consent and a damned good time was had by all!" Fiyero cheered, and Elphaba shook her head in despair.

"Incorrigible. If you say that to her I'm going to fall out with you again."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh wouldn't I?" Elphaba detached herself from him and made to walk towards the bathroom, but Fiyero immediately caught her around the waist and held her in an iron grip.

"Okay, so you would. What _do _you want me to say to her?" he laughed, running his fingers through her hair.

"I want you to tell her that you're very sorry for the misunderstanding, but the extent of your relationship with me is _our _business and no-one else's. Say it as politely as you can manage, though. Also be sure to tell her that I do appreciate her concern, and her fear for my moral and physical wellbeing is very touching. I don't want her to be offended again," Elphaba sighed, breaking away properly and scanning the room for a clean towel. Fiyero nodded.

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

"We're also going to tell Glinda today," she added cheerfully, heading for the bathroom with a glee filled cackle. She closed the door behind her, but Fiyero simply opened it again and leaned against the frame with an incredulous expression.

"You what? Why in the name of all that is Oz would we do that?" he groaned, being as gentlemanly as possible as she removed her pyjamas by keeping his eyes glued to her face. Elphaba rolled her eyes as she bundled her hair onto the top of her head and bound it savagely with a bright pink hair elastic.

"Because we don't want her finding out second hand, do we, my pet?" she said with just a hint of mockery in her tone. "Imagine the scene: Nessa goes to visit Glinda at her crazy little club again, tells her that she caught you in my room and _you_, to all intents and purposes, admitted that we had done a little more than 'sleeping' together. Glinda goes insane, feels betrayed, hunts me down with a Gillikinese Frazball bat, beats me to death with it for lying - and slash or keeping things from her - then runs off again." Elphaba punctuated her little rant with wild hand and arm gestures, which let Fiyero focus on something other than the rest of her body.

She turned the shower on and waited patiently for it to heat up, continuing to talk ten to the dozen. "Or even worse, imagine if we kept it from her 'til we go back to Shiz; because we _are _going back; then she walks in on us one day in a less than innocent situation, goes insane and draws out aforementioned Frazball bat. I don't relish the idea of having a five foot ten blonde girl hammering my brains out with a blunt object… It doesn't sound like a fun way to die."

"Do we have to? I'm quite enjoying our secret liaisons."

"Princey know big words!" she laughed, though not unkindly, finally clambering into the shower and pulling the curtain. Fiyero, of course, pulled it back again.

"When are you going to text Nessarose?" he queried, handing her a bottle of coconut scented shower gel and perching on the edge of the bath, regardless of the warm spray of the water. Elphaba thought for a moment as she worked the gel into a lather on her left arm.

"No idea," she shrugged. "I'll probably do it later today. What time is it?"

"Nearly midday."

"Alright then. I'll do this, then do that, then we can have lunch, then we can go and see if Glinda's around."

"Sounds like a busy day! I can't wait."

"Your deadpan expression says otherwise, but yes, love, I'm sure it'll be fabulous."

"Your face says you can't be bothered either…"

"My face says no such thing! _Your _face says you're having those silly man-thoughts again," she teased, playfully flicking a handful of water in his direction. Fiyero coloured a little, but waved her off imperiously.

"I was actually thinking about Glinda," he admitted lamely, slumping his bare back against the cold tiles on the wall. His first instinct was to spring away, but for the sake of his manliness he fought it back. Elphaba looked both amused and aggrieved.

"I'm glad to know that my nudity has such an effect on you!" she muttered with an injured smile, turning her back on him then turning back to the front. She stamped her foot in frustration when she realised that there was no modest way to look away from him.

Fiyero's expression at once became mortified. "No!" he cried, leaping to his feet. "That's not what I meant."

Without waiting for a reply, he slipped out of what little clothes he was wearing and hopped nimbly into the shower beside her. Elphaba looked hurt, but strove to hide it behind an amused snicker - her attempt was in vain. She had misunderstood him once again, and Fiyero began to consider taking a course in Communifications when he returned to Shiz, since his skills in the topic were obviously severely lacking. Unfalteringly, the young man settled his hands on his lover's shoulders and pressed a longing kiss to her dripping forehead.

"You are my _Inamorata_," he whispered gently. "_My Fae_. **Please**, Elphaba, stop doubting me, stop doubting yourself! You're driving me crazy here!"

"_I'm _driving _you _crazy?" she chuckled wanly, resting her ear against his chest and looping her arms around his wait. "You invaded my shower time," she added accusingly, quickly returning to her normal snappy self. Fiyero chortled apologetically.

"Sorry, but I didn't want you standing here all unhappy." He smiled and tilted her face up so he could kiss her. She responded eagerly, standing on the very tips of her toes so that he didn't have to bend too far. He kissed her languorously, eventually eliciting a deep sigh of content from the green woman. He grinned happily and drew away, pleased to see the stars that shone in Elphaba's dark eyes. She brushed his right clavicle with her lips then leaned back with a relaxed smile.

"Go away before Glinda does her usual breaking in trick," she laughed, shoving his unwilling form slightly, even though their bodies did not break their close contact.

Fiyero's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open in horror as two tall figures appeared in the open doorway, their mouths forming perfectly matching 'O' shapes. Elphaba's head snapped around to where Fiyero was looking, and barely a moment passed before she screeched and tugged the shower curtain around herself and, inadvertently, the man she was pressed against.

"What the hell, Glinda?" she screamed shrilly, dancing around from foot to foot in a way no-one ever envisaged the green Munchkinlander capable of. Meir had turned his back and scurried further into the actual hotel room, whereas bold Glinda strode right into the bathroom, her face livid. She snapped off the shower so as to be heard better, momentarily leaving the drip of the shower head as the only sound.

"You cannot seriously be asking _me _what the hell? You said that you didn't - that you weren't… I can't believe that you lied to me, Elphie! You're supposed to be my best friend, I'm supposed to be the one you can talk to about this stuff! You _lied _to me!" the tall woman seethed, waving her arms like a windmill. Fiyero reached backwards and groped around for two free towels, which he found. He and Elphaba wrapped them around themselves awkwardly, trying not to let anything show, and hopped out of the shower in turn and trudged through to the main room, Glinda in tow.

"We wanted to _wait _to tell you. We've only been going out for… how long, Yero? About four days? We were going to tell you today!" the smaller female said in reply, her voice really on edge. Glinda's face became disgusted.

"You slept with him after four days? What a slu-"

"Shut up, Glinda!" Fiyero cut in, his arm automatically slithering around Elphaba's shoulders to pull her close. "I love her, she loves me, we were ready! What more do you want?"

"Unnamed _God _you can tell that she's never had a boyfriend and that you're a total player. How can you possibly be in love after four days? I didn't realise that you were _green _in more than one way!"

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"You mean I know something that the Artichoke doesn't? Well, Halle-freakin'-llujah! It means that you're _naïve_, Elphie. Fiyero is a born manwhore! He only wants one thing, and as soon as he gets it, he'll be gone. You can't really think that he's in love with you?"

"I've never hit a woman before, Glinda, and I never will, but you are on _such _thin ice right now!" Fiyero roared in a way not dissimilar to the way he bawled at Frex the night before. Elphaba recognised this, and laid a comforting hand on his arm.

"Do you know something, Yero?" she almost purred. "I think that our Miss _**Ga**_linda is jealous."

It was Meir who looked most aghast at this conjecture, and his already pale face turned as white as it was possible to go. Until this point, he had been perched discreetly on the edge of the dressing table, studying his fingernails and allowing his girlfriend to get on with her slanging match. He had, of course, been ready to jump in if Fiyero had even dared to take a step towards Glinda, but he even though he didn't trust the younger man, he could see in his expression that it would be _he _who would get the punch in lieu of Glinda. Now, he stood up and clenched his jaw.

"Now just hang on one clock tick!" he cried. "Glinda is _my _girlfriend! Why would she be want him back? At least I have more respect for her than he has for you - I haven't even kissed her properly yet!"

"I don't think we need to know that," Fiyero interjected sullenly.

"Four days into your relationship and you've already done everything! Where are you going to go from here, exactly?" Glinda spat, her face beginning to flush. Elphaba pursed her lips.

"We didn't exactly just meet in the street four days ago and decide to go out, Glin. We've known one another for two years; I don't even see what the big deal is! And you're not denying that you're jealous. You're just pissed because someone wants the Artichoke more than he wants you!" she snarled, squaring up to the other woman with a violent ferocity that was far removed from her usual "silence them with words" personality. Glinda screamed aggressively and lunged forward, scrabbling her sharp nails into Elphaba's face.

"You practically _stole _him from me!" squealed Glinda as Elphaba threw out a stinging slap. Fiyero stepped forward to pull them apart, but a glare from the green woman told him to leave them to it.

Meir shook his head in disgust and whirled from the room. He was immeasurably hurt: he had really liked Glinda, and the revelation that she was still a spoiled little brat made him regret ever admiring her from afar in the coffee shop since the first day she stepped inside. It had taken him a week to pluck up the courage to talk to her, and now he felt quite betrayed.

Fiyero, on the other hand, was beyond confused and angry. Surely Glinda wasn't childish enough to be jealous of Elphaba just because he was with her? Suddenly, a loud cackle pulled him from his reverie and he saw Elphaba land a brutal punch in Glinda's stomach. The former blonde doubled over with a groan of pain and the other woman smirked.

"Just go, Glinda." Fiyero propelled her towards the door. She allowed herself to be guided by the shoulders until they were at the other side of the room. Then, when she was sure Elphaba was watching, Glinda threw her arms around Fiyero's neck and kissed him.

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**Leopard/spots. **


	26. There's Me

**Thank you for the reviews! Please continue to be as utterly brilliant as you are, you beautiful people. This chapter? I don't know. Light relief, perhaps.**

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Inside, Glinda was screaming at herself for her own stupidity. Really, she didn't want Fiyero. She didn't want to hurt Elphaba - that was something she would rather have died than done intentionally. But what is a girl to do when her best friend refuses to tell her the truth, even though she fully suspected in the first place and found aforementioned best friend's denial endearing? She had simply seen red when she had seen them together. The reason why did not make itself plain to Glinda, but the former blonde had a horrible niggling feeling in the back of her mind that she _was _indeed jealous.

As she kissed Fiyero and felt his hands scrabbling desperately to release himself from her iron grip, his head tilting back to try and detach his mouth from hers, she felt an overwhelming sense of loss. He wasn't hers anymore, and she knew it. Glinda wanted _Meir_, but the side of her who was still childish, spoiled and the most popular girl at Shiz had decided to go momentarily haywire over Fiyero again, and now she couldn't regret it more.

However, the Gillikinese woman had never been one to back down, so she pushed away her self loathing and kept herself pressed against her ex, tightening her arms around his struggling form.

A moment later, Fiyero wrenched himself free and stumbled back three steps, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, his blue eyes wide and utterly horrified. Before even thinking about berating Glinda, he rushed to Elphaba's side. The green woman was standing straight and more dignified than they had ever seen her, and her thin lipped mouth was turned down slightly at the corners, giving her the air of the stately Queens of old.

"Fae, I-" Fiyero began, unadulterated fear making his heart pound in his chest. A spark flickered in Elphaba's eyes, and she held a hand up to silence him. Wordlessly, she advanced towards Glinda with a steely dignity that only she could wear, and the taller woman waited with bated breath.

When she reached Glinda, Elphaba raised her hand again and looked at her fingers: curved as though they were holding an apple. Slowly, a ball of shimmering orange flames appeared in her verdant palm, the smell of burning making it apparent that they were more than a feeble party trick - the flames were real, and dangerous. With a small, malevolent grin, Elphaba raised her eyes to meet those of Glinda, and saw nothing but terror shining there.

"I am giving you five seconds to get out of my life forever," she said, her tone quietly sinister. "If you are still within my sight when those five seconds pass, I am going to do something so unpleasant to you that it'll go down in history as one of the most brutal murders to ever take place. Five-" Elphaba waved her free hand over the ball of flames and it grew considerably, a threatening crackle now clearly audible.

Glinda took a step back so that she was pressed against the wall next to the door.

"Elphie…" she muttered, holding her hands up on either side of her head and flicking her eyes to Fiyero for help. He stood with his arms folded, watching Elphaba. _'Of course he's watching Elphaba. He's been watching Elphaba for the last two years. The first time I saw him he was watching her walk away; why didn't I see it then? He watched her all the time - I thought he was thinking of ways to make fun of her but… He always wanted her more than me.' _she thought bitterly.

"Four."

"Elphie, please!"

"Three."

"I-"

"Glinda, just go." Fiyero's voice were as hard as Elphaba's eyes, but he was still focused on the green girl. He fully intended to be there for her to take out her anger on - he didn't mind, just so long as it made her feel better. His own deathly fear of fire had taken a back seat as he watched the small woman - it was reduced to merely a painful shriek at the back of his mind. Elphaba's welfare mattered more.

"Two."

"If you value your life, go!"

"One."

Quickly, Glinda hurtled out of the door, narrowly missing the long stream of fire that Elphaba had blasted towards her head. A large hole was singed into the pale wallpaper, but Glinda didn't stop to consider. She simply slammed the door behind her and sprinted down the corridor, anguished tears of self detestation beginning to stream down her cheeks. Eventually, she got to her own room and tumbled inside.

Meir was gone. She had lost Fiyero a long time ago, if she ever had him in the first place. And now Elphaba hated her. With a strangled cry, the young woman tossed herself onto her bed and began to sob.

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Elphaba stared at the spot where the flames had hit the wall, apparently extraordinarily interested in the curling, blackened edges of the now destroyed wallpaper. Fiyero carefully stepped to her back and rested his hands on her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. She wouldn't look at him, because if she did so he would see the traitorous tear that was currently sliding down her cheek. Elphaba was firmly of the opinion that Fiyero had seen her cry one time too many (a grand total of three times - he currently held the record) and she didn't plan on letting him do so again.

She continued to stare, the palm of her right hand still tingling from where the fireball had originated. Suddenly, Elphaba remembered Fiyero's crippling fear and covered the hand on her left shoulder with her own, caressing the back gently with her own. With a careless sweep of her free hand, she repaired the damage and Fiyero let out a shuddering breath.

"Typical that the first time I see you doing magic, you're conjuring the thing that scares me the most," Fiyero chuckled half-heartedly, the false bravery in his voice doing nothing to hide the severe apprehension of a few moments before. Elphaba didn't reply or turn around.

"I'm so sorry," he continued. "If I had never come to Shiz, you would never have become friends with Glinda and you would never have had to go through this. You can talk to me, you know. I won't think you any less strong if you want to cry or punch me to a pulp. If you need it, you can do it."

Elphaba struggled to keep her voice level as she replied.

"She was supposed to be my best friend. Why couldn't she bear to let me be happy _just this once_? Is it really that hard to believe that someone like you wants someone like me? Nessa was right; I see good in everyone even if there's none there. In Glinda, in Frex, even in _myself_." She bit the words out, closing her eyes against a sudden onslaught of tears. The effort caused her throat to constrict and her heart to burn, but she was damned if she was going to cry. Fiyero could feel her shaking under his hands, and turned her slowly around just in time to see her chin wobble slightly.

"Cry," he encouraged, yearning for the woman to allow herself the human emotions that she so often tried to deny. Elphaba shook her head.

"No."

"Cry!"

"_No!_"

"You're going to cry, so stop being so stubborn and just listen to me. We both know you'll do it anyway if I leave you alone, and it's better to do it while I'm here to comfort you."

"I'm not going to cry," Elphaba sighed heavily, her voice cracking on the last word. Fiyero tossed a faintly smug smile in her direction.

"Yes, you are. No-one else is going to see you, sweetheart. It's perfectly normal. I love you."

The precarious balance of Elphaba's feelings was completely tipped by that one statement, and she silenced the part of her that told her she was weak so that she could burst forth into a stream of silent tears. Fiyero immediately scooped her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed, sitting himself against the pillows and settling her in his lap. In all honesty, she felt utterly ridiculous, since she had never even sat on anyone's lap as a child, but for the first time she allowed herself to forget everything and just be emotional.

Of course she had cried when they had they argument over the sweets back at Shiz, but only sparingly. She had never truly cried since… Oz, since she was a baby.

"I feel like a fool…" she muttered, wiping her eyes as her feeling of idiocy grew unbearable. Fiyero cried out in exasperation.

"Okay, so if you don't want to cry, what _do _you want to do?"

"Go out somewhere. If you think about it, the whole time we've been here we've been orientated around Glinda. For the first two weeks we - well, I - was fixated on finding her. When we found her, I was fixated on being her friend again. We haven't really done much exploring… We should just go out and wander!"

"We could go to the little ticket booth in Ozma Square and see what they have theatre wise for tonight? Then we could-"

"Wander around the shops!"

"_You _want to _shop_?"

"Yes. I want new clothes, and new haircut-"

"You're not touching your hair!"

"I can do whatever I like, it's my hair! …Don't look at me like that, it'll make me - oh, fine! I'll humour you! But I want new clothes, at least. Then we can go for dinner, go the theatre… It sounds brilliant!" Elphaba enthused, her tears now making way for real excitement. It had always been one of her dreams to see the Emerald City, and though she had been there for about three weeks, she had still hardly seen any of it.

Fiyero grinned. "I don't think I've seen you so enthusiastic about anything the entire time I've known you," he laughed, watching Elphaba as she scrambled off his lap to dress, rummaging through drawers for clean underwear, a t-shirt and a pair of trousers. The green girl shot him a withering look.

"I don't know. I think I was pretty enthusiastic last night, wasn't I?" she said, unravelling her towel (she wondered how it had managed to stay on so successfully throughout her fight with Glinda) and tugging on all the appropriate garments. Fiyero devoured her with his eyes, but continued to speak.

"You do have a point. Consider this the _second _most excited I've ever seen you. You were pretty agitated when you found that little hurt Fox cub and nursed it back to health in a box under your bed, weren't you? Glinda wasn't too happy about it. Apparently it made the room smell," he chuckled, imagining Elphaba mothering the poor little creature.

"He was ever so grateful," she smiled fondly, tugging on her jeans. "I hope he found his mother all right. His leg was horribly mangled. I hate to think who did that to him."

"Is that your passion? Animals?" Fiyero questioned. Elphaba nodded enthusiastically.

"I like _animals _**and** _Animals_. I don't think it's right how some of them are losing their speech - remember poor Doctor Dillamond? He was such a talented man; well, Goat. I'd like to use my magic to help oppressed Animals like him. I'd also like to use it to help normal animals too, since they need the assistance more than anyone. What about you?" she queried, tugging on her trainers and loosing her hair from its ridiculous topknot.

Fiyero shrugged and stood up, donning the same boxers and jeans as the night before.

"I don't really have much of a choice, do I? I have no siblings, so I've got to be King." His face grew melancholy as the ghost of this responsibility settled itself on his strapping shoulders.

"If you didn't have to do that, what would you do?" Elphaba waved her hand over his red t-shirt and thrust it at him - it smelled clean. Apparently, this magic could prove useful.

Fiyero allowed himself to ponder for a few minutes, and Elphaba accepted his silence as thoughtful, padding around to make the bed as she waited. When she turned back to him, Fiyero's face had brightened again, and a slightly pinkish blush had overtaken his cheeks.

"I'd like to… I've always dreamed about going into theatre." His tanned cheeks grew steadily more read as Elphaba studied him in quiet surprise.

"You have? I never imagined you as the theatrical type," she smiled, tucking in the corners of the duvet. "I mean, I know you can dance," she continued, "but can you act? Can you sing?"

"I… Oh, Oz, this is so embarrassing! I took dance lessons for years - they were the only kind of classes I could pay attention in. Mum was an opera singer before she married my dad, and she taught me some of the basics when I was in my early teens. I have no idea if I can act, though. Perhaps I'll try out for the Lurlinemas musical at Shiz this year and find out?" he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. Elphaba eyed him.

"I've only been to the theatre once," she admitted dully. "Aunt Eissa took me to see a touring production of… Oz, I don't know. It was bright and colourful, and it was based around a famous story from the Oziad. We were in a box and she made me sit behind the curtain, but I could just about see what was going on down on the stage, and I thought it was brilliant. I must have been about twelve at the time," she said, almost smiling at the memory of the joyful music, vivid costumes, flashing lights… Fiyero gazed at her incredulously.

"Only once? Well, then, come on! For the rest of the time we're here, I'm taking you to see a show every night! During the days we'll do tourist things and take silly photographs, and at night we'll go to the theatre. I swear, live theatre is even better than going to see a movie. You'll be hooked by the time the week is out! Come on, we're actually going to take the car this time." he grinned, grabbing her hand and whirling her out of the door as though he couldn't wait to get started.

Elphaba followed him quickly, her eyes darting around in case Glinda decided to make an appearance. As they reached the elevator and stepped inside, she tentatively rested her head on his shoulder.

"I was actually considering being back at Shiz for next week," she murmured, watching the numbers on the display panel go down as they changed floors. Fiyero cast a glance at her.

"You were?"

"Do you mind? I just thought, 'make up with Nessa, go home'. If you don't want to come back yet I can just get a train!" said Elphaba quickly, not wanting to make Fiyero annoyed with her. He laughed slightly and mussed her hair.

"Don't be silly. As if I'm going to let you go all the way back to Shiz on your own! We'll have a really good day today, try and meet Nessarose tomorrow then head back to Shiz the day after. Sound alright?" Fiyero smiled and tossed an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you sure that you don't mind, Yero? I don't want to cut your holiday short. I just don't know if I can stay here with the possibility of seeing her again. That makes me feel so _weak_!" Elphaba added bitterly, spitting out the words as though they physically pained her.

"You don't have to be strong all of the time, Fae."

The green girl shook her head and stepped out of the lift as soon as the doors opened.

* * *

Fiyero watched in mild amusement as Elphaba attempted to match up clothes. She had just tried to pair up a pair of purple skinny jeans with a bright yellow t-shirt, and was currently under the impression that if she had 'normal' skin, she'd wear the outfit in an instant and no-one would think she was dressed badly. The prince couldn't contain himself, and emitted a loud burst of laughter.

"What?" Elphaba quizzed, her brow creasing in annoyance. She hated to be laughed at, and Fiyero knew it. He back-pedalled quickly.

"Nothing! It's just… those two colours don't exactly _compliment _each other. If you want an outfit that'll look nice on you, I'd suggest **these **for a start!" he said diplomatically, holding up a pair of black patent court shoes with a skyscraper heel that made Elphaba feel dizzy just looking at them. Her lover continued on around the shop, picking up other articles of clothing that he felt would suit her. He went for a black knee length A-line skirt, a pair of straight legged black jeans with a glittery motif on the back pocket and an assortment of dark blue, black and purple t-shirts and blouses. He thrust it into her arms with a smug smile.

"I'm really questioning your sexuality right now," Elphaba muttered, eyeing the garments warily. Fiyero laughed and shrugged.

"You should worry if I knew the names of any of the brands I just picked up, but in all honesty I don't. I just picked what I thought would look nice on you - that sounds like I'm trying to tell you that your taste in clothes sucks, doesn't it?" he queried worriedly, biting his lip. "If it's any consolation, I learned from watching my dad order things from the people from this city that would come trundling across the desert to provide us with the finest clothes imaginable. He'd sit with mum and talk about colours and styles and what would suit him and her and me and my girl cousins; I guess I just retained it."

"If you say so. Do I really have to wear the skirt?"

"At least try it. You said you wanted new clothes, so you're getting them," he grinned, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Elphaba became horrified.

"I meant in the cheap chain stores, Yero! I can't afford a place like this; I barely make anything from my library job at Shiz, and I obviously haven't made _anything _from it this summer. I can't let you pay for this. The shoes alone are…" Her eyes popped at the three figure sum scrawled on the price tag. "Much too expensive! You've already bought us tickets to Wizomania!"

"I want to spoil you, Fae! What's the big deal? Consider it… How would you say it? Monetary compensation for past unkindness to you and your person?"

"You've already given me plenty of compensation for the emotional, mental and _physical _injuries you caused me," she smiled gently, motioning with her head for him to bend down and kiss her, since her arms were too occupied to allow her to reach up.

"Physical? What did I do to you physically?" he gaped once he'd pulled away, slumping down onto one of the stools people sat on to try on shoes. Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"You dropped one thousand three hundred page hard backed dictionary on my head once, remember?" she laughed, a phantom throbbing pain appearing in the top of her head for a moment. The young man next to her looked aghast.

"No! That really was an accident!" he cried. "I was trying to pass it to Boq in the row in front of you, but he was too small and I was too tall and you just happened to get in the way. I may have disliked you, but I was too fascinated by watching you to bother hurting you. I know I'm a bit of a rogue, but I've never gone out of my way to hurt anyone." Fiyero pouted, genuinely hurt. Elphaba noticed and perched the clothes on her lap so that her hand was free to enclose around his.

"I know, my sweet. But we're off the point now. I can't let you pay for these clothes!" she emphasised, before glancing at the tags and rolling her eyes fondly.

"What's wrong?"

"They're not even my size, Yero. I guess I shouldn't be worrying about you just yet!"

He bought her the clothes, as well as a new pair of army boots (for the Winter, because Shiz got the worst snow in the Gillikin); a long black coat that swished like a cape when she walked; another pair of high heels (less outrageous, this time); a midnight blue dress; a massive tome of an encyclopaedia that she had gazed longingly at on the internet for years; a digital camera; a new laptop to replace the one he had smashed (this was accompanied by a kiss and many profuse apologies) and a funny pointed hat that had struck her funny bone in a vintage shop window. Fiyero also bought himself some new shirts; a new sketch pad and drawing pencils; a t-shirt with a lion on it and a new pair of trainers.

In the vintage shop where Elphaba had picked up her novelty item (the hat was broad-brimmed and black with a conical top, slightly bent out of shape as though someone had sat on it), Fiyero had come across a lime green bowler hat which he tried on in great mirth, and only just managed to persuade Elphaba to allow him to buy it. They took a picture of themselves with Elphaba's new camera, once leering into the camera like escaped lunatics and once smiling sweetly into the lens, their heads tilted in towards one another to display their ludicrous headwear.

When they had finished shopping, they stowed the bags in the car and walked to back to Ozma Square for some pictures. Fiyero looked at the place with fresh eyes, apparently oblivious to the fact that he had attended school here for almost two months the year before. Elphaba, on the other hand, was genuinely enthralled by the raw history that seemed to radiate from every inch of the piazza; part of her almost hurt at the thought of leaving in two days.

"One day we're coming to live here," Fiyero murmured half to himself, hooking his pinkie finger around Elphaba's as they returned to the car. The woman looked up at him with faint puzzlement.

"You're assuming that we'll last long enough to move anyplace other than the dorms at Shiz, then?" she smiled wanly, wriggling her aching shoulders. Fiyero bit his lip.

"I hope we will, anyway. Who knows what'll happen? Maybe you'll end up my Queen, and we'll have the castle at Kiamo Ko for the Winter; the palace at Kumbricia's Pass for the Summer; Malfaak House in the Gillikin for the Spring and a townhouse here in the city centre for the Autumn when all the business is done." The prince looked excited at the thought, and Elphaba briefly allowed herself to feel his enthusiasm. All to soon, however, she had screwed her 'sensible' head back on.

"I'm not assuming anything, my Yero," said Elphaba. "I love you now, and you love me, but our romance may indeed be as doomed to fail as Glinda expects."

Fiyero snorted derisively and pulled her closer.

"I've got a feeling that, doomed or not, we were always meant to get together. Don't roll your eyes at me, Elphaba! I'm just stating fact. If you think about it, we're so mismatched, we're perfect!"

"That's a contradiction and a half…"

"Stop being so negative. Elphaba, we'll be together _always_. You can shoot fire out of your fingertips… Why can't you accept that?" Fiyero smiled fondly, and Elphaba smiled despite herself. She conceded his statement with the briefest of nods.

"Fine. I guess - oh my God! Is that _Morrible_?" she cried, pulling him into a recess behind a large pillar. Across the street, the unmistakable figure of Madame Morrible (Headmistress at Shiz) was meandering up the street in a crimson dress, her white-blonde hair piled on top of her head and skewered with two chopsticks. On a leash in front of her wheeled a little robotic dog; it wagged its creaking tail and gave shrill, metallic barks every few feet.

"Oz!" Fiyero giggled. "I hate seeing teachers outside of school. It's like… I always forget that they don't just hibernate in a cardboard box with some newspaper for the entire summer until the students come back. Look at her, she's so…"

"Fishy? Yeah, I thought so too."

People stared at the young couple wedged in behind the pillar, pressed against one another and giggling. They didn't see the older woman across the street, and so they smiled fondly at them and shook their heads, remembering when they had been young and easily excited.

Fiyero looked down at Elphaba with a tender smile and kissed her languidly, grinning at the way she automatically parted her lips and trailed her tongue across his own. She reached up to wind her fingers in his hair, then realised where she was and broke away, blushing.

"Sorry," Fiyero grinned with a most unapologetic wink, then struggled out from behind the pillar and offered her a hand to take. She did so with a quiet acceptance, and they began to continue on down the street towards the car.

* * *

"I text Nessa - she says she'll come visit tomorrow afternoon. She requests that you be more suitably dressed this time, though," Elphaba grinned as they got out of the car outside the theatre. She had donned her new skirt and a new black blouse, but had sheathed her beanpole legs in black stockings (to hide their colour) and was wearing her high boots, to save herself a broken ankle from the skyscrapers. Fiyero nodded happily and tapped the tickets with his fingers, handing them to the clerk just inside the door. They were led to their seats, and Fiyero bounced around like a child, completely unable to contain his excitement.

The smell of the theatre was the first thing that Elphaba noticed - the very air smelled like history, and was accompanied by a light, sweet perfume that seemed to coat every surface. The musicians in the orchestra pit began to warm themselves up: strings began pitch bending; clarinets with their blue tones danced lightly over diminished scales; keyboards sounded their pearly arpeggios; trumpets began their trilling. The echoes of a hundred years of applause seemed to linger, and Elphaba decided that the theatre was one of the most spectacular things she had ever experienced.

"It was utterly spectacular!" Elphaba enthused, digging in her bag for her room card. Briefly, she wished she knew that unlocking spell of Glinda's - but then she remembered how much trouble it seemed to cause, and forgot about it. Fiyero was encouraged by her excitement.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it? If I didn't have a duty to my country I would become a performer faster than a heartbeat."

The door clicked open, and the sight that met their eyes made Elphaba gasp.

* * *

**I wonder...**


	27. Siblings

**This fic won 'Best Fiyeraba' at the Wicked awards this year. I am so proud and humbled! I was also honoured to win joint first for 'Best Romance Author' (along with HC247), as well as coming in third for 'Best Author' and second in 'Most Humorous Author'. I cannot put into words how delighted I am to have even been recognised in this way. Thank you all from the bottom of my sparkly green heart! It means the world. **

**This is sort of filler-ish, but I don't mind, 'cause I like it. Just deal with the filler-y-ness, m'kay? **

**This chapter is for everyone who voted for me. You're phenomenal, and Cat (me) loves you. **

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Fiyero cried at the boy who was currently lounging on Elphaba's bed, a cigarette in his hand as he blew smoke rings in the air. The strange boy had reddish-brown hair and a pair of black sunglasses over his eyes, regardless of the fact that it was almost eleven at night. His head turned towards them and a half smile appeared on his face.

"I'm Shell. Apparently, I'm _her_ brother," he said confidently, nodding towards Elphaba with a wide grin. Her face split into a dazzling smile, and she took two steps forward.

"Shell? Really?" she gasped, and the boy in question sat up and removed his sunglasses. His eyes sparkled, and were the same inviting brown as Elphaba's.

"Yep. Nessaface told me everything. I always knew dad was the most massive arsehole that ever lived, so I didn't mind annoying him for another night by going out without telling him and not coming back 'til midnight. Oh, and her majesty also says that she (and I quote), 'Forgives you both for the indecency this morning, and hopes that all of your differences may be recompiled.' She doesn't want to risk dad finding out that we know, so she won't come tomorrow." It took a lot for Elphaba to stop herself correcting the word to 'reconciled', but she decided that being pedantic was not a good way to rekindle a relationship with her brother.

He stood, revealing himself to be only a couple of inches taller than Elphaba. He held out his arms and she entered willingly into his embrace, unable to believe that it really was her little brother, lost to her for so many years.

"Nessarose told you _everything_?" Fiyero queried, feeling slightly out of place as he watched the touching reunion. Shell spoke to him over Elphaba's shoulder.

"Yep. Everything. She wanted to come with me, but her minder is already going crazy because of all the prayers she's missed, so she had to stay at the hotel with Nanny and dad to catch up. She looked ready to kill me when I left, but hey. What can you do?" he chuckled, stepping away with a roguish grin. Elphaba smiled fondly at him, sensing the conjecture about his personality she had earlier delivered to Nessarose to be true.

"I can't believe you're really here. The last time I saw you, I… Oz, I don't even remember what I did!" Elphaba laughed, chucking his chin fondly. Shell grimaced a little as she babied him, but the glint in his eye told them all that he didn't really mind.

"I remember exactly what happened. You told me a bedtime story before dad came home. It was about a handsome prince falling in love with a little green girl, and how her witty little brother got them together. Apparently, you have quite the talent for seeing the future," Shell grinned, poking his tongue out as Fiyero took Elphaba's hand and wound his fingers through hers.

"It is a gift of hers," Fiyero replied adoringly, and Elphaba shook her head.

"Put that cigarette out, Shell, then we'll chat."

Shell obliged, and the siblings fell to talking.

"Ness was wondering… How old do you have to be to get into Shiz?" the boy asked, throwing himself down on the bed, at the opposite end from his sister and her partner. Elphaba barely paused to let the question sink in before answering.

"Seventeen. Aunt Eissa sent me when I was eighteen, with a bit of money and the knowledge that I'd be written out of the line of Eminence as soon as I got my degree. Charming woman. Why does Nessa want to know?" she asked, wedging herself underneath Fiyero's shoulder and leaning her head back onto his chest. Shell looked slightly deflated.

"Oh. She wants away from dad, and so do I. I'm not the biggest fan of school, but it'd get me away from him and I could have as much fun as I liked," he laughed, and Fiyero chuckled along with him.

"Your sister won't understand where you're coming from with the whole schoolwork thing," Fiyero said. "But I totally do. I hated school - never **once **put pen to paper to take notes or do homework. I got kicked out of six schools by the time I was eighteen, and ended up at Shiz. For some reason I liked it there; maybe it was because the nightlife was good, I'm not sure." He did indeed wonder why he had decided to stay at Shiz, and not deliberately sabotage his chances just so that he could move on again. The cheesy part of him said that it was because he knew there was something life changing that would happen if he stayed - Elphaba. Fiyero did not voice this thought, but Shell caught it anyway.

"Let me guess: my sister's smartness has worn off on you, and because you're so badonkadonkingly in love with her, you'll buckle down and work hard for your degree in politics or whatever it is, no matter _what _the papers say?" he smirked, and Fiyero coloured a little. Elphaba sniggered and broke into the conversation again.

"I think it would be wonderful for you and Nessie to come along. If you want, I could have a word with Madame Morrible about letting you both in. I'm her favourite pupil; she teaches me and…" Elphaba trailed off, biting her lip. With a stoical sigh, she pushed the thought of Glinda away and continued. "She teaches me sorcery, and has said that maybe one day I'll get to meet the Wizard! I think that if I try hard enough, she'll let you in."

"But wouldn't that mean… Y'know, _studying_?"

"Well, yes. But you wouldn't have to jump straight to an intensive degree. You could do a national certificate, or even a diploma-"

"What? I've wasted two years of my life in classes that fry my brain where there were easier things I could have been doing the whole time? Why did no-one _tell _me?" Fiyero interjected indignantly, pouting in his usual fashion. Elphaba rolled her eyes and began to hug the arm draped across her body.

"But, if you had taken a diploma course instead of a degree, you wouldn't have been in my classes! And then who would do your homework and give you pens and pencils and paper? And who would you fight with and then stare at with lustful eyes the rest of the class? Come on, you know you love being in my classes," the green woman grinned flirtatiously, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his arm.

Shell wrinkled his nose at this display of affection, apparently still at the uncomfortable and embarrassed stage where anything even remotely lovey-dovey or sexual in his presence could make him turn beetroot red.

"Tell Nessa to call me at the end of the summer," Elphaba said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension that had arisen. "I'll try and arrange an appointment with Horrible Morrible before term starts, and then maybe you two can come. In the mean time… I don't know what you should do about dad. We're going back to Shiz tomorrow, you see."

"Maybe they could come with us," Fiyero suggested cheerfully. "I like this kid."

Shell's face lit up at the prospect, and Elphaba hadn't the heart to go back on Fiyero's proposition now. With a defeated sigh, she nodded.

"Go and tell Nessa. We'll have to find space for her chair in Yero's car, but… It might work. Do **not **tell that horrid little man, though!" she added anxiously. "I don't want him knowing where to find us. He's done enough damage."

* * *

Shell left soon after, through a more suitable exit (he had, apparently, _climbed _six storeys to get into his sister's hotel room) and Elphaba and Fiyero were left in the quiet. They changed their clothes silently then dropped into bed together without stopping to consider the fact that Fiyero had his own room. Elphaba propped her pillows up and pulled out a book to read, only to snap it closed again in a few seconds.

"I can't concentrate," she muttered to Fiyero, who lay on his back next to her. He opened one eye and mutely asked what was wrong. "There's just been too much in one week!" she explained, flopping back against the pillows and kneading her tired eyes with the heel of her hand.

"I mean, we're looking for Glinda, we find Glinda. We all argue, then I make up with her. We drink too much coffee. I have the most painful crush on you, and have the cheek to say I love you inside my head every time I see you. Suddenly, I'm kissing you, then I'm dating you, then I'm _running _for the first time since I was a little girl.

"Then I have that vision and I faint and I make a fool of myself, then we meet dad and Nessa then you say you love me and I lose my virginity to the most perfect man in the world, then Glinda falls out with me for lying to her even though she knew that I knew that she knew the truth the whole time. Then she kisses you and I throw a fireball at her stupid big head then Nessa comes over then we have a day out and you buy me things and we go to the theatre, and then Shell turns up and it's decided that they're going to be moving to Shiz with us!"

Elphaba gabbled towards the end and dropped her head into her hands, her head pounding in confusion and frustration. Fiyero took a moment to catch up, then tugged her down to lie on his chest so that he could wrap his arms around her.

"You're right," he whispered. "It _has _been a big week for you… But it's all over with now. We're going to go back to Shiz as a couple, and then that's that part sorted out. Nessa and Shell will be there too, as your siblings. What more is there to think about? Glinda won't come back, so then she's out of the equation. Basically, you just need to stop thinking so much, sweetheart. It can't be good for you," he soothed, stroking his fingers through her long hair. Elphaba smiled slightly and kissed one of his diamonds.

"Hm, you're right. I'm going to sleep."

They fell asleep almost simultaneously, entwined around one another and breathing in time.

* * *

"Yeah, mum. I love you too," Glinda muttered as the line went dead. She jabbed her perfect nail into the disconnect button and stared at the opposite wall, counting the number of stripes in the wallpaper to distract herself from the mess her room had become. Her normally tidy tower of sketchpads teetered one point four inches too far to the left, and the remote control for the television was jammed haphazardly into its receptacle. Utterly shambolic, in her opinion.

She had tried phoning her mother in the Pertha Hills for some comfort, but the woman had been too busy preparing for the **'**_**Summer Solstice Ball: In Aid Of Underprivileged Children Throughout Oz**__ (Apart From the Muddy Bits In Quadling Country And The Hot Far Away Bits In The Vinkus And That Town In Munchkinland With The Short People)' _to bother listening to her daughter rant on in self pity.

Glinda sighed and lay back, staring at the neatly plastered ceiling. Her flow of tears seemed unstoppable, and even as she wallowed she wiped away another salty stream from her already glowing cheeks. She was a pathetic sight, but she knew she deserved it. How _was _she to get by without her friends? Even her mother and father had no time for her.

The young woman reflected on the person she had been, and the person she was fast becoming, and decided she didn't like it one bit.

* * *

Meir accepted the offer of the bottle of beer, and downed it with one swig. His friends cheered around him and clapped him on the back.

"We've missed you, mate!"

"Where've you been?"

"Studying to be a journalist isn't all it's cracked up to be, is it? Got you stuck in that college for hours!"

He smiled at them and replied jovially, genuinely enjoying the company of people he knew he could trust. The five days he had known Glinda, he hadn't even stopped to have a pint with his friends in the pub, but now he reflected…

She was much too immature.

She wasn't ready for a grown up relationship.

He shouldn't _care_ - but he did, and it infuriated him. Glinda wasn't his concern, yet she continued to prod at the edge of his mind with that ridiculous little training wand that she carted around in her handbag all the time. He popped a peanut into his mouth and chewed it viciously, valiantly attempting to push Glinda's smile from his head.

The peanut technique proved ineffective.

* * *

The plan was set. They were to meet Nessa and Shell at the gates to the City at a quarter past one. They had planned it meticulously (for all of ten minutes), and were certain that nothing could go wrong. Well, Fiyero was certain.

Elphaba was not so sure.

* * *

**It was required. :) I'm not sure yet if I'll be extremely cruel or not, so the outcome of the last sentence of this chapter is as yet undetermined. Review, please? **


	28. Action Sequence

***hides* I know this took me ages... I'm sorry. I like this one, though. I love Nanny's character in the book, so... Yes. She makes a cameo here. She may even re-appear later on. Who knows? Thank you very much for all of these reviews! And... Um, yes. I think we'll have some fluffle in the next chapter. Maybe. Don't hold me to it. **

* * *

"Frexspar, all of Nessa's things are gone. The same with Shell. I don't know where they can have gone – I only left for ten minutes! They were playing cards when I left!" Nanny wailed, her wrinkled hands flying to her mouth in complete horror. Frex saved the email he was typing, then looked up from his laptop screen with obvious confusion.

"What on earth do you mean, all of their things are _gone_? Surely they can't simply have vanished?" He laughed briefly, thinking this to be a joke. "What do Nessa and Shell have to say about all of their things going missing?" he queried, a playful sparkle in his green eyes. Nanny shook her head emphatically.

"No, Frex!" she cried, dropping into the nearest chair and fanning her face melodramatically. "Nessa and Shell are gone, **with **their things! I checked the whole suite, and I phoned down to reception to see if they were in the restaurant. They're nowhere to be found!"

The old woman's face vacillated between being pale as death and a feverish red as she fretted about the whereabouts of her precious charges.

"What –" Frex passed a hand through his thinning hair. , "How can they be gone? Where would they go? _Why _would they..." The ex-minister rose to his feet and began to pace frantically, completely at a loss as to where his two children would go.

"Perhaps..." Nanny began, twisting her shrivelled hands in her skirted lap. "Perhaps they went to Elphaba."

"How is it that you know of Elphaba?" he snapped in reply, narrowing his eyes into dangerous slits. Nanny drew herself up a little taller – she may be old, but she was not easily cowed, and she had enough gumption to stand up to the silly little Munchkin man.

Nanny had been Melena's Nanny, and then Elphaba's, in turn Nessarose's, but had been dismissed to the very backwater of Munchkinland to look after some half-breed brats after Melena died. She remembered the little green girl; she had been the first person to hold the poor little thing, the first person to unwrap her sharp little teeth, the person who insisted she be sent to school instead of kept in the house like an animal. She had heard that the child had died tragically a few years after she left, and the thought had grieved her very much. Patiently, she explained her newfound knowledge to Frex.

"A few nights ago I was brushing Nessa's hair before she went to bed – she has such beautiful hair, you know – and she informed me of an incident that took place in some little eating house in the West End. Apparently, a girl with skin as green as a leaf in the Springtime spilt soup on her new dress – such a pretty dress, you know – then started screaming about being her sister. Of course, I knew that must be our little Fabala. Nessarose was a tad cagey on the rest of the details, but I could feel it in my bones – these old bones are still good for prophesising! – I could feel it in my bones that it was our little Fabala, come back to us." Nanny looked exceedingly pleased with herself for coming to this conclusion, and her firm faith in Lurline allowed her to believe that the lost little girl had risen again. Frex, on the other hand, glowered.

"They can't have gone to her. They don't even know her! They _can't _have..." His voice dropped low on the last sentence, and angered tears rose to his eyes. Nanny sniffed contemptuously – she couldn't abide crying men.

"Stop bubbling and go look for them – it shouldn't be too difficult to find them."

"This is the biggest city in Oz, Nanny! Where in the name of Lurline am I supposed to look, exactly?" he cried, waving his arms. Nanny sniggered at his unconscious paganism, but thought better of indulging in her own cheeky blaspheme; he was too riled up.

"I ran away from someone in the City once," she mused quietly. "It was my mother, and I ran away with my boyfriend. We used his car – Oz, the fun we had in the back seat of that thing! It had a roll down top and... Anyway, we left by the Northern Gate, the one that leads to Gillikin – more chance of getting rich up there. We didn't even make it that far... Too much sex tired him out and he told me to get out and walk back. The cheeky swine!"

"Is that your immoral way of saying to try the Northern Gate?"

"S'what Nanny would do," Nanny grinned, and Frex immediately bolted from the room.

* * *

Fiyero slipped his hand around Elphaba's for a moment as the traffic lights turned to red, a proffered a reassuring smile in her direction. Her younger siblings bickered tirelessly in the back seat, and she simply offered a pained grimace in reply. The Vinkun thumbed the soft skin on the back of her hand, and the green woman felt her nerves dwindle infinitesimally.

"Don't look so worried, Fae!" Fiyero muttered, inching the car forward. The lights returned to green, but only one car got through before they reverted to red. Their car was at tenth in the queue, so getting away any time soon did not look likely. Fiyero cursed quietly under his breath, and Elphaba chuckled a little.

"I can't help it, Yero," she replied anxiously. "I've just got the most horrible feeling that getting away isn't going to be as easy as we though – we should have taken the Eastern Gate."

"But that would drop us in Munchkinland, and then we'd have had to add another week's journey on top of the three days we already have. Why would we – what in the name of Oz?" The Prince's head turned just in time to see Frex stepping off the pavement, advancing towards the car with a menacing glare.

Elphaba shrieked as the man thrust his hand in the open window of the car and grabbed Fiyero by the throat, screeching.

"How dare you try and kidnap my children! Nessarose, Shell, it's alright! Daddy's here!" he cried, opening the back door of the car with his free hand. The younger Thropp female began to sob, while Shell sprang out of the car and pushed Frex roughly. The smaller man staggered away, leaving Fiyero just enough time to regain his breath before he was hauled out of the car by the angry Munchkin. Shell closed the door on Nessa, who was currently being comforted by Elphaba. The green girl also kept an eye on her lover and her brother: her nerves were shot.

"We are _not _kidnapping them!" Fiyero bawled, holding Frex at arm's length to stop him getting another chokehold. Shell nodded vigorously.

"Yeah! They're not! We wanted to go! We had to get away from **you**!" the boy added angrily, and his father stopped fighting Fiyero's strength.

"What do you mean, you had to get away from me? I've done nothing but be kind to you!" he quizzed, his expression hurt.

"You took our sister away from us. We know the truth, _dad_, and we don't wanna be around you anymore. Elphaba and Fiyero are taking us away, because we want to go. Get over it." The boy turned his back on his father and stalked back around to his side of the car, clambering in the great dignity. Fiyero took the opportunity to leap back into the car while Frex was standing, flummoxed, and began to bank around the cars parked in front of them.

Horns were beeped, and other drivers yelled angrily at the red car as it skidded towards the lights, which were just turning green. With a screech of tires, Fiyero swerved around the corner. Just as the car turned, Frex came out of his stupor and launched himself towards the vehicle, landing square on the bonnet. Nessarose screamed and covered her eyes, sobbing even harder than she had been before. Shell swore loudly and took his weeping sister into his arms to comfort her, something which he would never usually dream of doing. Frex blocked Fiyero's vision of the road, so the young man was forced to swerve right and left in an attempt to shake him off.

"Be careful, Yero!" Elphaba cried, sending a forceful blast of nondescript magic out of the window, just in time to propel an old woman out of the way of the car's front bumper.

"I'm trying, Fae! Can't you blast him off too?" Fiyero replied agitatedly, spinning the wheel desperately.

"I don't want to hurt him!"

"What other choice do you have? Get rid of him! Magic up a mattress to catch him!"

Frex crawled further up the windscreen and worked his hand into the open window at Elphaba's side. His face was crazed, and the brutal expression that he wore sent Elphaba reeling back in a deluge of unwanted memories. Her hand was raised to throw him off the car with her magic, but Fiyero saw her close her eyes in sheer panic. He reached across and took her other, winding his fingers through hers and trying to communicate his encouragement without speaking.

Elphaba had never wanted to hurt Frex. She hated him for all that he had done to her – for what reason, other than she reminded him too much of his beloved wife? Grief had made him go mad, madness had made him become truly wicked. It wasn't his fault that he had become this way, or that he had done those things to her.

She pondered how she would react if Fiyero died, and recognised that it would probably be the exact same way. She wouldn't be able to live anymore... especially not without Glinda's friendship to help her through. Could she, in all consciousness, allow her siblings to punish him for something that was only between herself and Frex? Did he deserve it? Elphaba couldn't decide – she could remember a time when he had been a loving father, and had doted on her: bringing her toy birds and calling her his little Fabala.

But this was not the same man. Frexspar the Godly, loving father and faithful husband was long gone. He had been replaced by this shell of a man; a man that Elphaba could not bring herself to feel forgiveness towards.

All of these thoughts crossed her mind in the split second before he grabbed a fistful of her hair, causing her to jerk reflexively and send him flying across to the other side of the road. He landed heavily on the grassy verge that banked the road that led out of the city, panting and sweating in the midday sun. He raised his head to look after them, and his eyes just caught sight of a blue and white sticker in the back window. Frex knew the University it represented – Shiz.

* * *

The first few hours of their journey was subdued, and no-one spoke a single word. Fiyero's heart never once stopped pounding, and he held extra tight onto the steering wheel in case another Frex needed to be shaken off. Elphaba rocked slightly in her seat, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as an expression of self comfort. Shell whistled to himself, but the melodies he intoned were not cheerful ones.

Eventually, they stopped in at a little service station to re-fuel the car and buy some lunch. There was no cafe attached, so they had to make do with soggy sandwiches and warm orange juice, which none of them enjoyed. There was still a disconcertingly solid silence in the car as they ate, until Fiyero coughed loudly. It had been a genuine cough, to clear his throat of the sting of the citrus drink, but it seemed to make everyone else in the car jump back to life.

"I can't believe that actually happened," Nessarose whispered, chewing absentmindedly on the corner of a piece of tomato. Shell yawned.

"Neither can I, but I can't wait to get to Shiz. There'll be..." He paused for a moment, obviously pondering how the next part of the sentence would be received. "College girls," he grinned. "There'll be _college _girls!"

Fiyero laughed loudly, seeing the eager glint in the sixteen year olds eyes. Elphaba snorted derisively.

"As if they'll give you a second glance!" she jibed, reaching over the back of the seats to ruffle his dark hair. Shell frowned and patted his hair back into place.

"Why on earth wouldn't they? I mean, _look _at me! I'm the next Fiyero Tiggular in the making!" he retorted, bobbing his head like a pigeon as he tried to exaggerate his point. The _current _Fiyero Tiggular guffawed again, tossing a piece of cucumber towards the Thropp boy.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, sunshine! I'm not about to be deposed anytime soon!"

"They won't give you a first glance because you're related to _me_. The Artichoke, the green bean." Elphaba cast a meaningful look at Fiyero. "_Asparagus Girl_." Fiyero chuckled and squeezed her knee affectionately.

"You won't be those things anymore; don't forget you're dating me now!"

"Are you sure they just won't call you something equally horrible?"

"Nah. They all love me too much. I can get them free booze at the Ozdust!"

"What's the Ozdust?" Nessarose interjected, tipping the remnants of her sandwich out of the window then attempting to look as nonchalant as possible. Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"The Ozdust Ballroom is a place where the popular kids of Shiz go to get completely out of their minds drunk, copulate with one another and probably smoke some kind of illegal drug in the corners, where they can get away with it. It's Yero's favourite place in Shiz, isn't it?" she smirked, touching her hand to his where it lay draped across the back of the bench seat. Fiyero pouted.

"When you say it like that, it sounds so seedy!" complained the prince, flicking her hand with his fingers. It stung a little, but the green girl just laughed it off. Nessarose looked scandalised with the whole concept of the Ozdust Ballroom, whereas Shell looked as though he simply could not wait to enter its massive white doors.

"Come on, let's get going. I want to reach the motel before nightfall."

* * *

Fiyero didn't want to leave Elphaba, Nessa and Shell unattended, so it was decided upon that they would get the family room – two single beds and a double. The double was nearest the door, so Fiyero lay on the furthest side, acting almost as a shield to the three Thropps behind him. Elphaba, much to Nessa's dismay, situated herself at the Vinkun's back and wrapped her arm around his body. The young man laughed quietly and turned around in her embrace to drop an innocent kiss on her lips. There was a huff of disapproval from Nessarose at the other side of the room.

"Please, refrain from sinning while I am in the room! You have _my _eternal soul to consider, as well as your own," she shot, turning over as best she could so she didn't have to look at the cuddling couple. Shell made a retching noise and pulled the duvet over his head.

"You two are sickening," he intoned huffily, yearning to get out and about – he wasn't used to getting to bed before at least one in the morning. Elphaba and Fiyero snickered quietly, leaning their foreheads together and closing their eyes.

Neither of them slept.

* * *

Meir stared at the screen of his mobile phone, his thumb hovering over the 'call' button. Glinda's name was highlighted bright blue, and her number glinted underneath. Did he want to call her? Not especially. With a resigned sigh, he stabbed at the green button and grimaced.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

"Hello?"

"Glinda, it's Meir. I miss you."

* * *

**I just adore them together. I really do. **


	29. Authors Note : Hiatus

Okay, this story will have to go onto a short hiatus. As I'm sure many of you appreciate, going into production is always an incredibly busy time, and I now have five or six weeks of straight rehearsal and performance facing me (for my college show, 'Honk!'). I'll try and update at some point during production, but I can't promise anything. Please, don't leave me!

I also have to apologise for becoming somewhat lax with my updating anyway - the last couple of weeks have been very stressful. Three essays, ten songs for my repertoire, three contrasting musical theatre songs to be examined on, tap exam, jazz exam, written singing exam, acting duologue exam, as well as audition pieces to prepare - a Stiles and Drewe song, and a serious (adult) monologue to be performed as a child under six. Auditions were brought forward a week, making this one the week from utter hell. I just hope I've done enough to get a part!

Anyway. Thank you all for your reviews and your patience. I'll be back soon(ish)!

LittleGreenGirlxx


	30. Back at Shiz

**As we know it has been a **_**terribly **_**long time since I wrote anything, so I apologise most sincerely if you think this chapter sucks. I know I promised fluff, but I just couldn't manage it! Thank you for your patience. (Also sorry this is so short!) I'm a little bit rusty!**

**My show went wonderfully. I've never had more fun in my life! Back to normality now, though. I've never been more proud than when I saw my director at the back of the theatre jumping up and down, clapping, screaming, crying, laughing and basically just making us all feel great. College friends have become like family, but I'm afraid that I've become just a **_**little **_**too fond of our leading man - oh dear. This will not end well. Help! *facepalm/headdesk* **

**Read and review, if anyone is still out there! xxx**

* * *

"Oh, sweet Lurline! Look! Fiyero Tiggular is kissing the Artichoke!"

"I wonder what curse she put on him?"

"When the hell did that happen?"

"Dude, that's gross. I bet someone dared him to do- EUGH! I swear he just felt her up! My eyes are burning!"

"What happened to Galinda?"

"I wonder what Galinda would say."

"Poor Galinda."

"Where's Galinda?"

_Galinda, Galinda, Galinda, Galinda, Galinda…_

"All they care about is _Ga_linda!" Elphaba screeched, hurling her arms out in frustration. She began to pace back and forth in the dorm room, Nessarose watching her with a studious expression. The green woman breathed deeply through her nose, trying to calm her flaring temper.

"Surely you can understand where they're coming from, Fabala?" Nessarose queried seriously, folding her pale hands in her lap. Elphaba glanced at her and pursed her lips.

"Of course I can. I just don't see why they can't say it to our faces. They always whisper behind their hands whenever we pass by. We've been back for a week and a half, and they've seen us at mealtimes. Imagine what hell it will be when we get back to classes on Monday… You'd think that they'd have the decency to just leave us be!"

"Why in Oz would they do that? Glinda and Fiyero were the It Couple for how long? Two years? Surely it's fair enough that these people are finding it difficult to adjust to the idea of the most popular boy in the school dating the most _un_popular girl. See it from their point of view," Nessarose soothed, sensing her sister's anger.

"You make it sound so simple."

"Isn't it?"

"Not especially, no."

"Elphaba-"

The sisters' argument was cut short when three loud knocks were deposited upon the door. The sound of Fiyero's voice calling out a greeting calmed Elphaba somewhat, but she refused to let it show as she opened the door to her lover and her brother.

"He had me traipsing around the whole town! He wouldn't even let me get something to eat before I showed him the Ozdust. You _definitely _take after your sister," Fiyero winced, throwing the last comment in Shell's direction_. _Hetook a few wearied steps into the room then flopping pitifully onto Elphaba's bed. The younger boy laughed proudly and swaggered over to the window seat.

"Do you really have to walk like that? You look like such an idiot! Are your knickers too tight?" Nessarose quipped, with an uncharacteristic snicker of amusement. Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, you two, stop it. I did _not _have Madame Morrible give you places for you to sit and bicker all the time. Go and grab some dinner. I need to talk to Yero," the eldest Thropp commanded with a regal point of her long finger. With much grumbling and protesting, Shell wheeled Nessa from the room.

"I do believe you were trying to get me all alone, Miss Thropp!" Fiyero chuckled, rolling onto his front and closing his heavy eyes. Shell - who was now rooming next door to Fiyero - had demanded that the Vinkun man get up at seven o'clock to take him on a full days tour of Shiz. It was now six at night, and the Prince had barely been off his feet all day. Elphaba chuckled quietly and perched beside his prone form, rubbing his back with one hand.

"Don't pretend you didn't enjoy today. He might have tired you out, but I can tell that you like him," she smiled, pleased to see that her brother and boyfriend were actually getting along. Fiyero snorted into the pillow.

"He's like a little mini Tiggular clone. I have to admit it's sort of weird… I do sort of like him better than Nessarose, though," he sighed.

"I don't blame you, my sweet. Nessa can be a little - how to put it - overbearing? In saying that, though, she can also be terribly sweet. I think it all depends on what mood she happens to be in."

"That makes sense. The other day she was all cheerful because Morrible gave her a place on the Relgionication course, and she actually told me that she _liked _my shirt! Then the next day she told me she hated my trainers. I don't really know what to make of her sometimes," Fiyero chuckled, motioning for Elphaba to lay down beside him.

The green girl obliged, stretching out alongside her lover and resting her cheek on the pillow, right next to his own. She kissed him lingeringly, and was almost certain that if he had been in possession of the energy, they would have found a much more active way to entertain themselves. As it was, Fiyero simply kissed her softly once more, mumbled something unintelligible against Elphaba's lips then curled up into a ball, his steady breathing indicating he had drifted off to sleep.

Elphaba pouted slightly, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she took in the gentle rejection. As if in answer to any as yet unformed thoughts that his girlfriend may be having, Fiyero's hand snaked around her small waist to pull her close to him. Her frown upended into a mellow smile and the Prince muttered something else in his sleep, his perfect lips forming words so quickly that Elphaba's mind couldn't even begin to follow them.

She began to hum a quiet melody under her breath in an attempt to send _herself _off to sleep, but truth be told she didn't feel the slightest bit tired. With a heavy sigh, she pulled herself upright and slowly slid out of Fiyero's embrace. Her old boots firmly on her feet once more, the girl donned her faithful old satchel and headed out of the door, leaving Fiyero a small note to explain she had gone to the library (of course).

As term hadn't properly started yet, there was no homework for Elphaba to do, nor any tests for her to study for, so when she reached the library she headed straight for the classic novels as a way to pass her time. Much to her disgust, she had already devoured a great number of them, leaving only a few volumes for her to pluck from the shelves. As she removed _'Arconola' _from it's place on the shelf; showering herself with an abundance of dust as she did so; Elphaba was sure that she heard shuffling footsteps behind her. The girl turned, but saw nothing. She shook her head vigorously to rid herself of this silly paranoia, but still made sure to hurry as she yanked three more grimy hardbacks from their places. With one final glance around, Elphaba hurried off in the direction of the front desk - the library would be closing soon, so hurrying was vital.

Frex stepped out of the shadows as soon as her back was turned, and narrowed his eyes threateningly at her retreating back.

"Hello, _Fabala_," he muttered menacingly under his breath. "Did you miss your old daddy?"

* * *

**Nope, I don't know either. **


	31. AN : You're Going to Hate Me

Okay guys, I'm so sorry. I had three chapters written with the intention of posting them all pretty close together to make up for the space of time between the last two chapters. My entire computer packed up on itself, and I had to get a new one. Obviously, this means the chapters I wrote are now gone. My dog died (don't say I'm being soppy - I had her for twelve years), I turned 18, I have three 2000 word essays due for college, I think I'm falling in love with that leading man I was talking about…

Yes, I _am _making excuses for myself, but I don't see what else I can do. I'm so terribly sorry, but I don't know when I'll get back into the frame of mind to re-write all of the stuff that's gone. I'm so sorry. I'm awful. I wouldn't blame any of you if you forgot this story altogether.

Please forgive me, and be grant me a little more of your patience.

Catriona x

(LittleGreenGirlxx)


	32. Shadows

**Stressed and a little heartbroken, the author returns to her computer in an attempt to block out the last month, and to find a way to help her struggle through until June 17th, when college is finished for the summer. **

**I do hope it's alright. Thank you for your reviews, your patience and your kindness. **

* * *

"Do you like it here, Shell?" Nessarose asked as her brother set a plate of food down in front of her. The boy grinned broadly.

"I love it," he enthused as he shovelled a forkful of steak pie into his mouth. "I fink dis is so muh' bett'r dan lifin' wif Dad!" he added, spraying pastry all over the table. His older sister turned her nose up and daintily took a nibble of her own dinner.

"Don't you worry that he misses us?" she queried slowly, keeping her eyes downcast. Nessarose, for all she resented the way her father had forced her into religion, had a caring nature that had lain dormant for many years – since Elphaba had gone.

Shell, with characteristic bluntness, snorted and shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't care less."

"You must care a _little _about how this has affected him?"

"Don't be stupid, Nessa. I'm glad to be shot of the old git."

"That's an awful thing to say!"

"Don't care."

"Well, perhaps you should _start _caring!" Nessarose spat, dropping her cutlery to her plate with a loud clatter. The siblings stared one another out for several moments before relaxing their defensive postures. They finished their meal in silence, before agreeing to take one more turn around the main quadrangle before heading back to Elphaba's room. There was always one thing they could agree on: they hated arguing, for neither could ever win.

* * *

Elphaba clutched her books close to her chest, a shiver working its spidery fingers slowly down her spine. A cool breeze shimmered through the leaves of the trees around her, and an eerie groaning echoed from their swaying trunks. The green girl always hated this walk back from the library, but something about this particular night was especially threatening. A shadow slunk through the trees at her back, and she held her shoulders tense. Her mind told her feet to hurry, but they automatically ground to a halt. Slowly, the girl turned around and-

"Fae, there you are!" Fiyero's voice cried as the Prince himself came striding up behind her, settling his large hands on her shoulders. Elphaba waved her hand to shush him and felt her heart stutter to a halt as she saw a human figure dashing through the trees away from them.

"-so I figured I'd come walk you back from the library since it was getting dark and- what's wrong?" Fiyero frowned, his gentle smile upending and a small crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"Didn't you see that person running?" she breathed in a much calmer tone than she felt.

"Running? What? No, I-"

"He was following me. I'm sure whoever it was was following me but got frightened when they saw you."

"_Following _you? Fae, are you sure- I mean, are you okay? Do-"

"I've never had a stalker before. It sounds quite exciting, doesn't it? Having a _stalker_… Someone who _follows _you through the _trees _at _night _without as much as a hello…"

Elphaba emitted a loud, cackling laugh which belied her humorous tone. Fiyero found it startlingly obvious that she was rather shaken.

"Come on, I'm taking you home," he murmured, draping a protective arm around her thin shoulders. Elphaba promptly shrugged him off with an apologetic smile and linked her pinkie finger with his instead, the smallest touch of his skin on hers all the comfort she needed.

"Go to your own room, Yero!" Elphaba protested, standing fast in front of her door to deny him entry. Her boot clad feet were planted shoulder width apart and her chin jutted out defiantly, so much so she wouldn't have looked out of place in the army. Fiyero took a deep breath to muster all of the charm he could, and leaned one forearm on the door lintel almost a foot above her head. He looked down at her with a soft smile and tilted his head just enough so that his hair fell into his eyes at just the right angle.

"_Elphaba_… Surely you can't want me to _leave_?" the Prince cooed, using his other hand to trace her jawline. The green girl cocked an eyebrow.

"It's not going to work. I know you only want to stay because you think I need '_protection_', or something equally as silly, but I'll be fine. I promise you. I was probably imagining it. Nessa will be back soon, and there are plenty of other girls around me –"

"-Most of who would gladly see you melted by a bucket of water for going out with _me-_"

"They'll be plenty protection, thank you very much. Now shoo, before I have to forcibly remove you from the premises."

Fiyero's confidence waned a little. "You wouldn't."

Elphaba smirked and poked him roughly in the chest. "Oh, wouldn't I?" The gleam in her eyes held just enough steel to be threatening, so Fiyero acquiesced to her request and dropped a fleeting kiss on her forehead before turning on his heel and starting off back down the corridor.

Once her lover disappeared down the stairs, Elphaba shot inside her room, heart pounding furiously. Shaking her head to try and dislodge the fear she deemed 'irrational', the girl crossed to the window and stood in the shadow of the curtain to look out. The campus looked just as it always did, and a few students still milled around in the dying light. Nessarose's wheelchair was distinguishable from the other side of the square, and Shell's lean figure pushed it slowly along the path. They seemed to be speaking amiably; rather odd, for them. Elphaba moved her gaze from her siblings and scanned the area surrounding the dorm building, searching for any trace of someone who should not be there. A small part of her muttered the word 'father' as if on a loop, but the larger, rational part of her mind could not see how the evil little man could have known where to find her.

"He couldn't know…" she murmured, fingering the brocaded curtain absentmindedly. She was almost certain she could feel eyes on her, but stubbornly put it down to sheer paranoia. With a shudder, Elphaba moved away from the window and drew the curtains. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wished that Glinda were here.

"Look who we found sitting outside the door!" Shell laughed as he wheeled Nessarose inside. Fiyero trailed in after them with a sheepish grin; Elphaba felt a warm smile spread unbidden across her face.

"I just couldn't keep away," he smirked, wrapping his arms around her in the most protective way possible. He kissed her gently on the lips, which elicited a gagging sound from Shell and a half-disapproving sniff from Nessarose. Elphaba fidgeted a little but allowed him to keep his arms around her, silently acknowledging that she appreciated his concern and protection. Nessa and Shell began to witter away to one another, and Fiyero opened his mouth to speak.

"Have-"  
"Yero, are you _vibrating_?" Elphaba screeched, leaping away from him and staring in disgust at his trouser pocket. The prince looked highly confused, but quickly began to laugh at the look of matching disdain on the Thropp girl's faces. With an amused eye roll, he plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone, waving it in Elphaba's face.

"Couldn't have it going off all loudly when I was trying to be silent outside your door, could I?" he pouted, as Shell burst into a fit of raucous laughter. Elphaba's face relaxed, and even prim Nessarose allowed herself a discreet giggle. As the Vinkun went in search of the message that had frightened her so, the green girl considered how useful one of those would be to her. Perhaps she should get one…

Fiyero's brow furrowed as he passed the phone to Elphaba, an expression of complete befuddlement adorning his handsome features.

"_Comin bak 2 Shiz this week w/ Meir. So sorry bout everythin. Dnt tell Elphie plz! Want 2 work everythin out b4 its 2 late. Love, Glinda xxxxxx"_

Frex, as he lurked in the trees below her bedroom window, heard Elphaba's shrill scream of frustration. He smiled, and swiftly hastened away like a breath of wind.

* * *

**Sorry that it's short. I'm rusty again. **


	33. I'M BACK!

Hello! Okay, so before I scurry back to the long abandoned chapter of 'I Could Do Without You' that I started writing months ago, I'd like to give you all one massive apology. I know I'm not supposed to post these on my actual story, but what the Hell. It's been a very stressful few months… I have been in 'Beauty and the Beast' rehearsals since before summer and '42nd Street' rehearsals for the last six weeks, meaning on top of extra college work I've been putting in about 50-55 hours a week dedicated to rehearsal alone. Now those shows are both finished (smash hits, both of them!) I can get back to this, to thinking about auditions for London, classical singing and any college work that has gone on standby while I've been tapping my feet off. I'm so very, VERY sorry that I've left you in the lurch like this, but I'm going to do my very best to get back into the swing of things! May take me a few days to catch up, but I'll get there. Thank you for your patience!

LittleGreenGirlxx


	34. Darkness

**Just a little one to start me off again. Hey, by the way. Thanks for your patience and reviews. I love you all. 3 **

* * *

Glinda pulled out her mobile phone and checked the screen again. Still no reply.

"Why isn't he replying? Do you think he was an ass and told Elphie and she'd go mad if he texted back? Do you…" The young woman glanced at the man at her side, and noticed the glazed look in his eyes as he focused on the road ahead of him. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath – Meir had been doing this since they left the Emerald City.

"Are you listening to me, baby?" she questioned as softly as she could manage, her annoyance beginning to reach fever pitch. Meir's right eye twitched as he came back to reality.

"'Course I am."

He glanced at Glinda for a moment, noted the blonde roots beginning to show in her hair, and then turned back to the road. "You need to dye your hair again."

"Actually I was thinking of just going back to my natural colour. I can't say I'm enjoying being a brunette." Glinda's pride was slightly stung at his offhand observation, and the dismissive tone in which it was delivered.

"So you didn't enjoy any of your time in the city? Your job? Being independent? Meeting me? Ruining your relationship with your best friend?"

"I enjoyed my job and being independent, loved meeting you… But no, I can't say I enjoyed _destroying _my relationship with Elphaba."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Do you honestly think I _meant _it? I just saw red! I-"

"No, Glinda, you were just being selfish. There's no point in denying it. I really like you and I missed you and that's why I made contact with you again; that's why I'm driving you back to the very school that you were running away from. But if you are going to **insist **on acting like the only person who has been hurt through actions that are entirely yours, then I'm getting out of this car and you can continue on by yourself. I care about you and you know I do, but I will _not _put up with your selfishness."

With that, Meir clamped his lips shut and promptly began to ignore her.

* * *

"_Concentrate_, Miss Elphaba! Focus **all **of your attention on the feather and make it float," Madame Morrible seethed, leaning forward over the table and fixing her fishy glare on her green protégée. Elphaba's face screwed up in concentration, and the white feather rose an inch or two into the air before floating back to the polished surface. The younger woman let her head drop into her hands, feelings of hopelessness and exhaustion converging upon her.

"I'm sorry, Madame," she murmured, pursing her lips in ever increasing frustration. "I just can't seem to focus today."

"Yes, Miss Thropp, so I had noticed."

The Headmistress walked slowly around the table towards her pupil, her shell covered dress clacking relentlessly with each step. Placing a firm hand upon the narrow shoulder, the older woman sighed, "Is there anything you wish to tell me, Elphaba?"

Elphaba cocked her eyebrow and shrugged out of the iron grip.

"Not that I'm aware of, ma'am."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."

"Positive?"

"_Yes. _Thank you for the concern, Madame, but I can honestly tell you that it's just the added worries of caring for my siblings that is taking its toll on me," the green girl said with just enough steely finality to quell the invasive questioning.

"Perhaps I should remove your sister from your care, then? Have her room here in my apartment where I could keep an especial eye on her?"

"Oh no Madame, my sister and I have only just been reunited and it would be too difficult for both myself and Nessarose to be parted again so quickly."

"But you would not be parted _entirely_, my dear. You would simply be relieved from the stress of caring for her and attending to your studies at the same time. You could still dine together of an evening and go to the picture house or parties or whatever it is you youngsters do for fun these days!"

"Well I'd hardly consider myself a typical 'youngster', ma'am. I'm far more at home with my books."

"And your boyfriend. How _did _that come about, may I ask? Last year you never seemed like the type to -how to put it? - d_abble _with the opposite sex. But now, from what I can see, you and Master Tiggular are practically joined at the hip. Whatever does the charming Miss Upland think?"

"What happened between Fiyero and I is a private matter, Madame, and I'm morally bound to keep it that way. As for Glinda, I'm sure you're aware that she has not returned to Shiz this year. She saw fit to seek education elsewhere and I wish her all the best, the scheming-"

Elphaba only just managed to hold in a waspish insult, rage flaring up in her chest so violently that the feather on the desk promptly burst into flames. Madame Morrible's beady eyes flicked between the smouldering remains of the feather and Elphaba's pinched expression. With her usual pathetic attempt at delicacy, she smiled, "I take it yourself and Miss Galinda have had a minor disagreement?"

"That's being overly-diplomatic. I cannot stand to think that she is thinking of coming back into my life to plague me with curling irons and pink and sparkles and her precious **Fifi **for a second time. I feel like I should ask for _me _to share your private rooms with Nessarose and give her the suite she was so eager for when we began here."

"That could be arranged-"

Elphaba saw her mistake and quickly shook her head to dispel the idea from the Headmistress's mind. "Forgive me, I forgot myself. Perhaps I should go and collect myself before Life Sciences."

"Perhaps, Miss Elphaba. Perhaps."

* * *

Elphaba quietly folded Nessarose's clothes into a suitcase to take to Madame Morrible's private apartments – Nessa had agreed that it would easier for her sister if she roomed with the creepy old lady. The green girl felt exceptionally sorry for this, but could see no way to persuade her strong willed younger sister out of this silly new arrangement. It seemed to Elphaba that no matter how hard she tried, she could not look after those she cared about to an adequate standard. Even poor Fiyero had to make do with her jumpiness and mood swings – basically her natural temperament, only made worse by the lingering sense of someone watching her.

Every time she stepped out of the door Elphaba was sure she could feel eyes on her. In every direction there was a presence waiting to catch her out and carry her off to a fate she was positive would be less than pleasant. Frex's face haunted her dreams and her mind while she was awake, so much so she had taken to sitting up all night to save herself the trauma. The young woman knew her father was somewhere just outside her window, waiting to finish the job he had started ten years ago; waiting to claim back his two youngest children to try and return to the sham of a family they were before. The very thought sent a chill through Elphaba's bones, but she dared speak of it to n-one. Fiyero, sensing her fear, had tried to shadow her wherever she went. In the end, however, she became frustrated with him and sent him packing, much to her own regret. He made a point of checking up on her regularly, however much she disliked the feeling of being mollycoddled.

The last of Nessa's things went into the suitcase, and Elphaba paused before she sealed it. In the moment's silence, she felt a trickle of real unease trickle down her spine. She could not bring herself to turn around, to make herself realise there was nothing there.

The lock on the door clicked to a closed position.

Her scream of fright was stifled.

Her vision extinguished.

Darkness.

* * *

**Well it's short, but it's by no means my worst. Tried to start off something dramatic so that I can't stop writing again. It's good to be back. **


	35. Second Time Lucky

**Hello there again! :D Thank you for the reviews guys! :) I'm trying to get this story nice and wrapped up as quickly as possible... But I'm TRYING to keep it up to my usual standard. Rather out of practice though, I'm afraid. Thanks again and enjoy. **

* * *

Had Elphaba's hands not been tied behind her back, she could easily have undone the gag over her mouth and the blindfold over her eyes to scream profanities at her good for nothing father. Ever logical even while severely frightened, the girl deduced from the rumblings underneath her and the slam she had heard not long before, that the horrid little man had stuffed her into the boot of a car.

Hardly the most fitting place to entertain one's long lost daughter. Perhaps he had missed the lecture on a pleasant cream tea and chit chat?

The engine revved loudly in her ears as the car sped along a long stretch of road, occasionally turning corners and sending Elphaba slamming painfully into different sides of the car. The terrain wasn't smooth tarmac either, but more like a dirt track. Hardly the most comfortable she had ever been. In the back of her mind a blind panic was begin to set in, but she couldn't let herself be taken over by it. She _wouldn't_. Elphaba knew that somewhere not far behind Fiyero would do that amazing thing where he sensed something was wrong and tear after her like…like… The building panic obscured her repertoire of clever similes.

Now she really _did _begin to succumb to it.

Elphaba thrashed around wildly to try and displace the blindfold or the gag, and struggled desperately with the bonds around the wrists. They cut into her flesh and she felt the warmth of blood oozing onto her skin, but she also felt the ties loosening. She knew that it wasn't her own brute strength aiding her escape but the blasted magic that had a habit of choosing its own sweet time to show up.

Slowly, the cloth around her face fell to the floor along with her ankle and wrist ties, allowing her to take a deep gulp of air.

"Let me out of here you **bastard**!" she screamed, balling her fists and beating the low roof over her head. The car swerved suddenly and Elphaba bumped her head, but she blinked away the stars and tried to summon something powerful to blast her out of the boot. Once again, the magic took its own advice only and chose to keep hidden.

The car engine stopped and Elphaba struggled to regulate her breathing. She heard the driver door slam and tensed herself, ready to fly as soon as the boot opened. But the boot did not open. She heard no further footsteps, nothing to hint that there could be any other living creature anywhere in the immediate surroundings. Silence always unsettled her. Where had the good for nothing little man gone? Surely he hadn't just forgotten he had kidnapped his own daughter?

* * *

"Miss Thropp, do you have _so _many belongings that it would take your sister this long to fetch them?" Madame Morrible questioned cuttingly, keeping her eyes fixed on Shell as he examined her expensive collection of crystals on the mantelpiece.

"Not that I can think of, Headmistress. I can't think what would possibly be taking her so long."

"How much did this cost you?" Shell interjected, picking up a hulking black stone that sparkled like the stars in the sky. Morrible took a terrified breath through her nose and grabbed it from the boy, cradling it to her massive bosom as though a child of her own.

"It was not bought with money, boy, but its worth is beyond your comprehension."

"Oh I get it, you nicked it!" he snickered, poking the tummy of an obnoxious looking stuffed owl- or perhaps Owl? Nessarose dropped her head into her hands.

"I did not _nick _anything, thank you very much! I was kind enough to accept you into this school without a shred of proof that you are anywhere near your sister academically, and you continue to be nothing but a nuisance. If I was anything less than the kind, nurturing woman that I am I would have tossed you out on your ear the moment I set eyes on you. Now go on, go and find that green sibling of yours."

"Okay," the boy shrugged nonchalantly, brushing off the old woman's words as though they did not affect him in the slightest.

"I'm sorry for my brother's behaviour, Madame. It's difficult for him, you see. He never even knew Elphaba existed until a little while ago," Nessarose explained after a short pause, endeavouring to make sure the headmistress did not take against her hapless little brother. The older woman nodded curtly, pursing her lips.

"I understand that, Miss Nessarose. I am perfectly giving the boy a chance, but he will have no _additional _chances. I have enough to worry about with Fiyero Tiggular frolicking around causing royal havoc, without having to think about the miniature clone of him also."

"Perhaps-"

At this, Shell came bursting through the door once again, Fiyero in tow. The Vinkun looked confused and a little concerned, his bright eyes narrowed. As soon as he spied the Headmistress, the tall young man crossed to her side.

"Morrible, I've just been to visit Elphaba and she's not in her room. All of Nessa's things are in a suitcase on the bed but Elphaba's nowhere to be found. The door was unlocked when I got there, but her bag and money and everything are still on her bedside table where she left them." He rambled, biting his lip anxiously.

The old woman bristled at being addressed by just her surname, but let it pass with a mental note to punish him later.

"Perhaps she went to the library?" Nessarose suggested with a hopeful smile.

"She left her book bag. She always gets too many to carry them all in her arms…"

"Café?"

"With no money?"

"Maybe Glinda's back and she's gone to turn her into a toad?" Shell suggested lamely, balling his hands into fists. Fiyero shook his head and cut across Madame Morrible as she opened her mouth to speak.

"No, it's Frex. He's got her, I'm sure of it."

* * *

Frex hadn't forgotten at all. He heard Elphaba's screech from the back of the car and decided that any other plans he had had must be abandoned. He knew the Vinkun brute would be hot on their heels. The hills surrounding Lake Chorge were steep, and Frex knew it. The car was parked at the top, and after pausing to consider for one short moment, the Munchkin man gave one almighty push and watch as the car careered towards the lake below.

Drowning didn't rid him of the green abomination the first time, but this time there was no escape.

* * *

"Hey Meir, do you see that little house over there? That's where I spent my first summer holiday at Shiz. Caprice in the Pines, they call it. If you go out first thing in the morning you can see the sun rising over Lake Chorge and it's like a little country magic, despite how close Shiz actually is. I-"

"Glinda, be quiet." Meir hushed her with a wave of his hand, pulling the car over into a lay by and turning off the engine. "Do you see that?" he asked, getting out of the car and hurrying to the other side of the road, overlooking the body of the lake. Glinda followed him quickly, and what she saw made her confusified.

Very, _very _confusified indeed.

* * *

**Sorry it's so short, but the only requirement I'm setting myself is to break the 1000 words mark in each chapter. Update as soon as I can! :D **


	36. NoOne Can Bring You Back

**Loved writing this one. Thanks for the reviews, favourites and alerts. We are very nearly finished. Thank goodness! :) **

* * *

_They lied, you know. When they said that dying was easy, I mean. It is _far _from easy. There is no warm bright light with some long lost loved one welcoming you with open arms. In death there is no calmness, no fast acceptance. When you are faced with death there is nothing to think about but what exactly is killing you. _

_Water. Water pouring through every crack around you. Blind panic as you struggle to keep your head above it to breathe. Paralysing terror as it engulfs you and begins to pour relentlessly into your lungs. _

_Magic refuses to help you blast your way out of the situation. All you can think about is yourself. It's probably the most selfish you will ever be. _

_Then, in the final moment before you succumb to your fate and allow your senses to close down, you see one flash of faces that you know, people that you love. _

_And you know you will never see them again. One moment of pain and then you feel no more. You are gone, and no-one can bring you back._

* * *

Glinda watched as the car hit the water, a splash several meters high going up around it.

"Elphie!" she cried, clamping both hands over her mouth in horror. Meir looked at her in genuine confusion.

"Why on earth would you think Elphaba is in there? It's just some car rolled off the road. Don't be stup-"

"Don't you _dare _call me stupid! Elphaba Thropp is my very best friend and I can feel with every single particle that I'm made of that she's in trouble and she's _in that car_. Oh! What do you bet it was her father? I need to help her, Meir! She's so scare of water, she…" Glinda could not finish her sentence before she began to run flat out own the hill.

Her jeans snagged on nettles and she felt her face begin to flush, but even if she had wanted to nothing could have stopped her running. She had no plan, of course. No way to help her friend, if she _was _indeed in the car. All the girl knew was that she had to at least get there, no matter what. Without hesitation Glinda dove head first into the warm water, barely pausing to reflect on the happy memories that came attached to it. She took a deep breath and plunge her head under the water and spied the car quite a little way away.

Too far away.

* * *

Frex strolled down the road towards Shiz, swinging his arms and whistling a little ditty from a television advertisement. She was gone for good this time, praise the Unnamed God! He could go and collect his little Nessie an Shell an return to their normal lives where no disgusting green aberration could torment them.

Just for fun he began to skip, letting a content smile cross his face. That was the nice thing about country roads, one could be as silly as one liked and not a soul could see it to think less of you.

* * *

"Oh my God," Fiyero muttered as he turned the corner on the road to see Frex come skipping out of the trees looking like an utter raving lunatic. The muscles in his heart contracted painfully at the sight, and he knew something had happened. Without pausing, he revved the engine and drove straight at the Munchkin man, slamming into him with such force that he flew several feet in the air before landing a short distance away, still smiling.

No, laughing. The Vinkun's blood boiled at the little man lay there on his back, cackling. Clambering out of the car and towards Frex, Fiyero began screaming profanities and queries about Elphaba.

"You don't have to worry about _her _contaminating your bed or your mind anymore, son. The green freak is bye-bye in the water just down there. I put her in the car and pushed it own the hill." Frex's eyes rolled.

"You what?"

"Clever of me, wasn't it? The last time I didn't want her death enough, which is why she survived. But this time I know the water will melt her out of existence and no-one will ever know or care what happened to her. She will melt out of everyone's memories and the world will be _normal _again! She won't be there reminding me of Melena."

"You vile-"

"She looked so like my Melena… Her face… The way her hair fell… But now she is gone. An now Melena can rest in peace. Melena lived on in her and now she can have a restful sleep until I see her again!" Frex smiled again, but gently this time. Fiyero, quiet for a moment, looked down at the man who had become deranged and wicked with grief. Someone who had once, apparently, been a good, upstanding man.

His past no longer mattered. Fiyero, his blood boiling, picked up his mobile phone and rang an ambulance and the police. He couldn't let the man die before justice was served. With one last look of disgust, the boy turned an fled down the hill opposite, his heart racing in his ears.

Elphaba could be dead by now. All he could do was pray that was not the case, and that he was not too late.

* * *

From the hilltop Meir saw the unmistakable figure of Fiyero bolting down the hill and dive-bombing into the water only a few moments after Glinda. He could see their lithe forms snaking through the water towards the dark block that was the car. The Gillikenese man knew that his help would not be required. The funny little green girl had two people who loved her intensely fighting for her life. They wouldn't let her down. They wouldn't let her die.

* * *

_Once one dies there is some calm. The moments before and during death are the painful ones. Afterwards is quiet. Beautifully so. Like the library on a Summer's day while the rest of the students are outside. Like a walk to work early on a Winter's morning before anyone has braved leaving the warmth of indoors. Like lying next to the one you love while they sleep. _

_You are no longer aware of the pain you felt moments ago, both physical and emotional. You no longer feel fear. You feel light as air, fluid as water. You wonder why you feared the water for so long, it is such a lovely thing to be. The poor water didn't want to drown you. You gave it no choice. Water is beautiful. _

_You realise you don't really mind that you have died. It suits you much better this way, oh so delightfully quiet. No-one to laugh at you. No-one to hate you. No green. No hate. You no longer exist, and you are at peace._

_And no-one can bring you back._

* * *

**Got a little tear writing that. Only a few chapters left. Hope you enjoyed. **


	37. The Final Curtain

__**And nowwwwwwwww, the end is neaaaaaaaaaar... No, this _is _the end. I didn't realise how quickly it would come to an end, but after a year of writing this bloody story I felt it was time it drew to a close, and this fluffy little chapter just rounds it off nicely as far as I'm concerned. And can I just say that I really researched what I talk about in this chapter, so I'm not making anything up! It's PERFECTLY possible. **

**Thank you all so, so, so much from the bottom of my green sparkly heart for all of your reviews, favourites, alerts, encouragement, and Greg Awards! I love you all and hope that this is not my last story. Only time shall tell. **

* * *

_Grief is a very selfish thing. Those left behind do not stop to consider the happiness of the dead one. They do not pause to contemplate that they are now free of their earthly bonds. Glinda and Fiyero were unforgivably selfish as they dragged my body onto the pebbled beach, weeping and wailing. Well, Glinda was wailing. Fiyero was… staring. She was gabbling about how it shouldn't have happened and why did I think I had the right to go and die on them? She collapsed into a rocking, sobbing heap. Embarrassing._

_Fiyero just stared. He pushed a strand of wet hair out of my face and looked down at me. I couldn't see his face; his hair fell into it and shielded whatever emotion was in his eyes. _

_He wasn't exactly being selfish… But then again, he was. Wherever I happened to be, above or all around them, I wanted to see his world come crashing down around him. I wanted to see how much he would miss me – see some kind of _proof _that he couldn't do without me. But he wouldn't indulge me, whatever I was now. Surely not a soul, I'd never believed in souls. He kept his grief to himself and refused to share like the selfish bugger he was._

_Instead, all he did was lower his lips to ghost them across my forehead. I felt it, I was sure I did. Perhaps it was just the memory of when he had done it before? _

_No._

_It was a real feeling. _

_But how…?_

* * *

"I love you, Elphaba," Fiyero whispered, his voice barely louder than a breath of wind. He pressed his lips to her head for a moment before pulling away and looking down at the motionless face of his green girl. Glinda rolled around on the ground next to him, tears staining her face and sand tangling in her hair. She continued to scream nonsense, apparently totally unaware of anything around her.

The Prince could not cry, because he knew Elphaba would not want him to. She would say that he was being selfish, only considering his loss instead of being happy for the person who was now free of the horror of living. However, young and in love as he was, the young man could not control the single, solitary tear that slipped down his cheek and dripped onto Elphaba's own. It mingled with the lake water, invisible.

* * *

_He was crying. I was sure of it. There was no way I could see a tear from my perch in the air all around him, but I felt it land softly on my cheek. It was such a beautiful feeling. He cared. He wouldn't be able to do without me. I could see that now. _

_I couldn't possibly do without him, either. It simply __**could not **__be done. I had to have with me always. And I couldn't leave Glinda, no matter what she had done to me. Nessa and Shell, so recently found after so many years. My ambitions, my few friends, my siblings and Fiyero… My life was not something I could give up._

* * *

A burst of air shot into Elphaba's lungs, the water collected in her lungs burning like fire as her muscles contracted in an attempt to be free of it. She scrabbled around, choking on the substance as it forced its way up her throat. Her thin fingers clenched on Fiyero's shirt as she coughed up the water, taking a deep, rasping breath that made her head spin.

Fiyero stared at her in wild confusion, unshed tears pooled in his eyes.

"Wha…? How?" he gasped, grabbing her by the shoulders and hauling her into a sitting position, his forehead creased into a painful frown. The green girl looked at him for a moment as she continued to regain her breath.

"I don't know," she muttered hoarsely, shielding her eyes against the brightness of the sunlight. Without another word she collapsed against Fiyero and held him tightly, her arms shaking with fatigue and fierceness of love.

From beside them, a quiet voice said, "Sometimes, when people have been underwater for an extended period of time, they go into a sort of shock induced coma… They're often presumed dead but in actual fact it's just their body hiding from worse consequences. If they stay in the coma for long periods of time it's likely that if they wake they'll have severe brain damage."

Glinda's eyes were wide as she finished the sentence and scanned Elphaba up and down.

"Where… where did you learn that?" she croaked, clearing her throat and regarding her friend with admiration. A very slight smile appeared on Glinda's face.

"The library. I went there in the city to watch Meir study. I had to do _something_ to make myself look plausible!" she giggled detachedly, clenching and unclenching her fists. For a moment the two women avoided eye contact, and then the former blonde threw herself at the smaller girl and engulfed her in a bone crushing hug.

"You managed to save her then?" Meir smiled, jogging out of the trees behind them. "Jeez, Elphaba, you look kind of soggy!"

The small company laughed despite themselves.

* * *

Elphaba lay in bed with her lips flattened into a hard line and her brows furrowed in anger.

"I do _not _have to stay in bed, Fiyero. I am quite capable of getting up and going to classes. You're being-"

"Utterly ridiculous. Yes, my little honey bunchy boo, you've said several times. Sadly for you, though, I thought you'd died because of that stupid little stunt you damned father pulled and you with your bloody shock coma thing, so I'll thank you very much to lie there and shut up while I try and cure your cold!"

"But homework-"

"Glinda's getting it for you."

"Madame Morrible-"

"Completely understands and has no problem with my being here."

"Yeah right. Shell and Nessa, though-"

"Are _fine_, you stubborn old mare! Here, have some chicken soup."

And with that, the Prince shoved a spoon of hot soup into her mouth to shut her up. With a wicked grin, he flopped into the bed beside her and rested against her legs.

"It's nice to feel good about _everything_, for once," Elphaba smiled softly, taking another spoonful of soup from the bowl on the bedside table. "I mean, I have Nessa and Shell back, no dad to worry about, Glinda and Meir are on my side… And I suppose, as sentimental and utterly un-stomachable as it sounds, I have you."

"Oh my, what did I put in the soup? Love potion?" Fiyero cried in mock disgust.

"If you did you'd better have some before you get sick of me," Elphaba laughed in reply, thrusting the spoon at him ferociously. The young man turned serious.

"I'm never going to get sick of you. I can't do without you. You're well and truly mine, from now until forever. C'mere you," he chuckled, leaning forward and kissing her gently, regardless of the cold he was bound to catch through her germs. Elphaba pulled him into a hug, burying her face into his neck to hide the uncharacteristic emotion in her eyes.

"No," she muttered softly, "I can't do without you, either."

* * *

**The End**


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